A Fate of Suns and Moons
by LazyApples
Summary: Sakura's lost something near to her heart, which is the one thing that can secure victory in the war against dark forces her kingdom has been battling. While searching for it, she cannot help a deep pull that has her seeing through the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha, known enemy of the throne, and experiencing his emotions. Little does she know, he's going through the same exact thing. AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: I've updated this story from when I originally posted it, so there's a few changes!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the cover art of Sasuke and Sakura, just this Fanfic plot!**

**XXX**

The Sun stared at the Moon as he began to slowly disappear, as he began to leave the world. Leave her.

Tears coated the Sun's eyes as she reached a hand out towards him, wet sobs escaped her and yet the sound could not reach her ears. Sound had evaporated, and all she could focus on was the sight of him. The image of his beautiful face, his eyes tracing over her own.

Even when the Moon was about to leave her forever, he still could not summon a single look of regret.

It was love that coated his features, love for the woman before him.

"Are you afraid?" the Moon asked, stretching out his own hand towards her, the energy slowly leaving him.

And she knew.

She knew with such clarity that she was not, could not be afraid.

"No. I am not."

For she would meet him again and again and again. They would find each other throughout the rest of time for their love was so deep. It would not be shattered, could not be lost.

Her own outstretched hand began to fade, dissipating the same as he.

His lips turned into a slight smile as he drank in the sight of her face for the last time. The last time in these bodies.

They were unable to reach each other before they faded away, carried off like leaves on a fall wind.

And then the Moon and the Sun parted.

For a time.

**XXX**

**A/N: Hey there! Just wanted to say hi and thank you for trying out my story! :3 If you like it, there's a couple fun things you can do:**

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**Disclaimer for entire story: I don't own Naruto, but this plot is all mine baby.**

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	2. Chapter 1: Sakura

"How much for the tart?"

The crone looked me up and down, taking in the dirty and torn cloak, and then overall shabby appearance. The crone's maw slowly opened, showing off the few teeth remaining within. "Too much for you. Scat!"

I did not budge, my feet stayed firm in their position in front of the stand. Light laughter and the sound of passersby conversing in the streets filled the space behind me as the people moved about, filling the approaching dusk with a kind of happiness that didn't seep its way into my own bones no matter how badly I wished for it.

"I have money." I patted my hip underneath the worn cloak, letting the greedy crone hear the jingle of coins. "How much?"

She still eyed me in disbelief. "20 pieces."

That...was not what I was expecting. My stomach growled as my eyes raked over the sweets on the cart. Tarts, danishes, cookies, cakes. I hadn't had much to eat lately, let alone anything flavorful. After scrounging around in the forest for scraps of food, I had hoped the first sight of civilization would have brought me more luck, provided me with reasonable accommodations.

"10 pieces," I bargained with the last bit of currency to my name, willing to gave it all away for the chocolate covered fried dough just two feet in front of me.

"Get! Shoo!" The crone did not take kindly to the offer and waved her hand at me, causing me to stumble backwards until I hit the dust-covered ground. "You're blocking my other customers."

My head became dizzy with the sudden magic the crone used when she waved her hand. Magic was a pretty commonality, though I had yet to have someone use it against me in such a barbaric manner. My stomach protested, and I would have been sick had there been anything in my belly in the first place.

I glared at the bitter crone, getting back up on shaky legs as I did so. Securing the hood fully over my head once more, I hid my long pink hair and pointed ears from the spectators. Even though I was sure that no one would recognize me like this, I still didn't want to take that chance.

The lady raised her hand threateningly and stared at me in silent threat, so I begrudgingly hauled myself away from the sweets stand.

I walked and walked through town, through the throngs of people, until finding a place that gave me a bowl of vegetable soup and some fresh water for eight pieces. Only two pieces remained now, so I would quickly need to find some money.

On the wall across from my dimly lit corner were scraps of paper. They were haphazardly strewn up on a board, people glancing at them, running their fingers along text and tapping on the faces of people adorned on the them.

I brought the wooden bowl up to my face, and just tipped it against my lips when a nearby pair started conversing.

"Wouldn't have to work a day in my life if I caught him," one of them said.

"Don't kid yourself, no one's ever been able to catch him. That's why his face's been on that wall for so long. Ain't nobody gonna get him," said the other.

Interesting. I wanted to get him...Whoever this _him _was.

I finished the bowl off and licked the remaining liquid from my lips. Sauntering over to the wall, I tried not to look so eager as I scoured the many faces on the wanted posters.

30 pieces.

70 pieces.

50, 120, 25, 170, 210, 135...

Where was he, this man with the extremely high bounty? I wasn't seeing any outrageous amounts for anyone, some high numbers, yes, but none that would let people not work for the rest of their lives.

A hooded figure stood a bit to the left and pointed to an individual paper with a finger, giving it a double tap while letting out a low whistle. I craned my neck to see that the reward was...

"Flying feathers!" came out of my mouth before I could think about it. _150 million pieces?!_ I walked closer to it and the person.

Tearing the picture off the wall, I stared closely at the wanted individual. The rough sketch of the man showed him to look somewhere in his mid-twenties, but with his pointy ears he was an obvious fae, so who knew how old he really was. I held the paper in one hand and ran the other hand over his picture, his eyes seeming to bore into my own through just a simple sketch. "What did he do?"

The hooded figure came nearer, and just beneath the hood lay a small mouth, lips trembling as they stretched out into a slow snarl.

"He destroyed Shinjuku." The voice was definitely female, as it was soft and yet meaningful.

I looked down at the picture once more. Dark hair lay upon his head and looked to be pulled back at the nape of his neck, looking as if wind had just swept through it. His eyes looked menacing and bored all at once. At the base of his neck is where the sketch faded out, the artist not deeming it worthy to show the rest of him.

"Shinjuku?" I repeated. "The northernmost point of the Fall Court?" My mind went through the land, picking its way to the spot as to where I was picturing. "I didn't know any ill will had befallen it."

The mysterious female tilted her head up so she could look me straight in the eyes. Her blue eyes pierced me clean through, effectively making my breath hitch.

"He did it a few days ago," she said simply.

"But," I started, "those men over there said he's been on the wall for a while now."

She sighed and turned her attention back to the paper clutched in my grip. "That's just one of the things he's done. There are countless others, the price on his head keeps ticking up."

A slight tremble snaked its way through my body, hands tightening their hold on the paper instinctively. The paper crinkled in protest, but I kept my grip firm. "He destroyed a whole town? And more?"

She nodded. "Help me get him."

My head shot up so quickly the hood almost fell back. "Are you crazy? There's no way we could stop someone like that!" I waved the paper in front of the mysterious stranger's face. "It would take an army!"

"If you want the money, you should come with me," she stated so easily, silkily, her eyes glinting with some unknown emotion. "Princess Sakura."

At the sound of my formal title, my breath stilled, eyes refusing to blink. Glancing around to make sure no one else heard, I stepped a foot closer to the girl and spoke in a lowered voice. "Let's talk about this somewhere else."

She gave me a knowing look and snatched the paper from me and fisted it into a ball. Even though the two of us were roughly the same height, I momentarily felt dwarfed by this mystery female's presence. How in the world did she know my true identity? All it would take is one word from her, and I would be caught. All my running around in the woods would have been for nothing.

I followed her out of the small tavern, and walked through the winding streets. As the sunlight faded, the streets became emptier, people staying home to have dinner with their families. The walk allowed my breathing to calm down somewhat, mind still racing with questions.

I wasn't going to take the job, I just wanted some answers at the end of this walk.

It wasn't much longer before we stopped in front of a rundown looking building. The stranger swung the door open and glided her way through. I followed closely behind, keeping my guard up and a hand on the hilt of my sword just to be safe.

The one-room structure was cramped, just large enough for a living area, bed, table, and a fireplace. It looked to have not truly been lived in for a while, someone merely staying for a short time as there were bags set in corners and weapons laid out on the table. There was no other sort of belongings set about. The logs in the fireplace were half charred and sitting in a small bed of ashes.

"Who's that?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice to the right. Sitting in a corner chair sat a very angry looking human with messy brown hair as if he ran his hands through it constantly.

"Who are you?" I asked, shifting my weight into a defensive position, eyes darting to the dangerous looking knife he was brandishing.

He stood up and dug the blade into the table, staring at me all the while. "You first, Pinky."

"Pinky?" I asked incredulously.

"Kiba," the female berated softly. "We talked about this, I thought you were going to be nice."

He paced around the table and stopped just a few feet in front of me, leveling me with a look of pure malice. "Sorry if I'm suspicious of her, but you were suppose to nab someone capable of taking down Itachi Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" I reached for the girl's hand to try and get the paper back, but she was quick and held it just out of reach. "You want to take down the _Dark Prince_? That's who that was?"

"I didn't want to scare you off with that bit of information right away," she said, pulling down her hood to reveal the tell-tale pointed ears of a fae. Her hair was long, dark purplish in color, and her eyes were milky. "I brought you here to discuss how we'll go about it."

She pulled out a chair at the table and plopped down, her eyes pointing to the chair nearby for me to take. I made no move, would do no such thing.

"Just knowing who he is makes it even more impossible now." I began pacing in a small circle. "And why didn't that paper have his name on it? I thought it said...Well, I don't remember, but I thought it said something different!"

She scoffed. "No one would go after him if his real name had been on it."

"And for good reason!" Conjuring up the image from my memory caused shivers to overtake me. I pulled at a lock of hair nervously and bit my bottom lip. "He...he's a monster. A truly horrific being."

Kiba spoke up this time. "That's why he's got to be stopped. That was my town he burned to the ground. My mom was..." His voice trailed off and a look of deep remorse spread over his gaze. "And my sister..." He wasn't able to speak on what had happened to the two women as his mouth opened and shut a few more times, but no words made their way into the space. His shocked expression at his own inability to convey his thoughts was jarring.

"I understand," I began. "He's done horrible things to my people as well, but he's over a thousand years old, the commander in Kaguya's army, the entire Summer Court is at his beck and call...And what? We have the three of us?"

It had been a while since a few of those words rolled off my tongue. Summer's been a constant worry for me and my Spring Court, and simply speaking about Kaguya made my mouth dry up like a wasteland. "There's nothing we can do." I braced myself against the table as a sense of utter helplessness overtook me, fingernails clawing deep into the wooden surface.

"Aren't you a fucking great pep-talker. Why'd you bring this one, Hinata?" Kiba demanded.

I couldn't bring myself to look up at either of them as tears formed at the corners of my eyes. Before anyone could speak, the tears ran down my cheeks and hit the table. I yanked my hands from the wooden surface so fast and pushed back my hood.

"She thought I could do something!" I screamed, throat raw from the pressure. "Princess Sakura come to save the day!"

The color drained from Kiba's face so instantly as his eyes nervously roamed my features, really taking all of me in now that I wasn't hiding under a hood.

"Yes, you must!" Hinata ordered. "You're the only one who can! You have the power to-"

"Seal away darkness," I finished for her, gaze glaring all the while. "My pendant was stolen and with it my powers to do such a thing!" My head was pounding from yelling, but there was no way I could be rational when it came to all of this.

"What...do you mean?" For the first time since running into her, I watched as a doubtful shadow crept over Hinata's expression. The cool confidence at last making way for unshaken resolve.

I turned my back to them, a brave decision as I still didn't really know these people, but I didn't care in that moment. Rational thinking went out the window. "About a week ago, I woke up and my pendant was gone." My hand instinctively went just below the hollow of my throat where the jewel should have been. "I have been looking for it ever since."

Silence befell the room, the thrumming of my own heart pounded loudly in my ears. Pink hair clung to the sweat on the back of my neck, and my fingers twitched out of habit while waiting for someone else to speak, for someone else to fill the stunted silence.

"We have to get it back," Hinata said and gripped her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. There was a ring around her finger that pushed back against the pressure from the hold. I couldn't help but admire the interesting piece of jewelry. The rim was of silver with a copper braid running the length of it in the middle. It must hold some importance to her, but I had no idea what. Perhaps it had some strong magic within it, some ancient spell to use against her enemies.

"That's what I've been trying to do," I snapped. "But there were no clues at home, so I have been wandering around trying to find anything."

"How come you're so dirty?" Kiba inquired.

"Excuse me?" I barked. "That serves no relevance whatsoever."

He grabbed the dagger from where he'd previously impaled it into the table and sheathed it into a hilt at his hip. "I'm just saying, where's all your money for being a princess? Being Kizashi Haruno's daughter, you should be able to be of some use to us so we can purchase better armor and weapons."

I rocked from my toes to the backs of my heels. "I have two pieces if that'll help you any. And Father doesn't know where I am. Well, I left him a note that said I would be back..."

"Are you joking? You're joking, right?" Kiba deadpanned and sat eerily still, his lips in a fine line. "You just up and left? No one stopped you?"

I shook my head. "I've gotten pretty good at maneuvering around guard duty," I said with a hint of confidence.

"If they find you with us," Kiba explained, "they'll imprison us, or even kill us." He then looked to Hinata who had been sitting quietly for a while now. "We have to go, leave her behind."

Hinata shook her head. "She's the only way."

"We can find another fucking way, Hinata!" He walked over to the bed and bent down to the floor. From underneath he pulled out a knapsack and tossed it at her, which she caught easily. He pulled out another which he slung across his back. "We're leaving."

"She's coming with."

"Like hell she is!"

I watched the two carefully. I had no ties in going with them, but it would be nice to have some travelling companions. It's been awfully nerve-wracking traversing the forests without another set of eyes and ears. I had grown tired of not getting any sleep because of the small noises in the darkness that frightened me.

"If you help me find my pendant, I'll come with you," I offered. These people seemed well traveled, they'd probably know of some direction to start in when it came to finding lost items. Before this month, I had little to no experience in the outside world apart from my walks in the gardens back home in Konoha Palace. And that didn't count at all no matter which way I looked at it.

"Deal," Hinata agreed and shoved her hand in my direction, which I took a few beats later. Kiba rushed over and broke the point of contact.

"No," he simply said and started to drag Hinata out the door without looking back to see what I would do.

I paid his attitude no attention while jogging after them to catch up. Putting my hood back into place over my head, I stayed just a few paces behind them.

Kiba looked back and glared. "Go away."

"I'm traveling with Hinata, so if you'd like to come along with us, it'd be wonderful to have you as company," I stated while keeping pace with them.

Hinata looked back at me and gave a quick chuckle at the joke. "I like you."

I smiled at her, and showed my still beaming expression to Kiba who was staring daggers right back.

I sighed and said, "I won't cause trouble, and I promise you that you won't be imprisoned or killed if they find us. When we get my pendant back, I really could help with Itachi." Not to mention Kaguya, although she would most likely prove to be more of a challenge.

"I don't get it," Kiba sneered, keeping his voice down as we passed out of the village gates and kept pace on a dirt path that wound its way through a nearby forest. "If you had this all-powerful pendant before, why haven't you used it already? Were you just waiting for more people to die before coming to our rescue? Looking to make it more dramatic?"

My feet stopped after hearing that. I had the mind to turn around and abandon them there, but the desperate look in Hinata's eyes kept me from leaving.

Hinata dug her elbow into his stomach and stomped on his foot, leaving him yowling in pain and rolling into a ball on the ground. I turned my attention from him to Hinata as she approached. She put her arm on my shoulder, and looked me dead in the eyes.

"I know there must be a reason why the pendant wasn't used before, but when I heard whispers of such a power dwelling deep in the Spring Court, I didn't sleep for days as I looked into the matter. All I could find was that a power ran in your bloodline unlike any other in the lands. A power to repel darkness. But each person has channeled it differently from what I read. Yours, for some reason, is done with a pendant."

I stared at her in utter shock, lower lip slightly trembling, and was unable to speak. Instead, I placed my hand over the one Hinata had on my shoulder, closing my eyes. "Thank you for understanding."

"You're welcome," she said simply. "Now, we make for the Velurian Crossing."


	3. Chapter 2: Sasuke

The rich red clay and crags slowly turned into a dull grey, the ground's physical appearance changing with the cooling temperature. The air became thin, much thinner than Sasuke had been used to while living in the Summer Court, where the sweltering heat pushed down on him every moment he took breath.

Moving this far west was an unknown, somewhere he'd never traveled before, knowing about it only through books and the words of his elders.

The sweat on the back of his neck no longer beaded, no longer forging a path down the back of his shirt as the chilled air sank in. It wasn't long before he saw his breath coming out in small white puffs and his exposed skin began to sting from the cold.

Snow began to drift lazily through the air as he curved around a path, the earth flat beneath his feet. He looked to his right and briefly wondered if he should climb the rocky ledges, taking to the mountainous path rather than the flatlands. It might protect him better, may give him more places to hide.

But, it would take longer to go that way, and he did not have the time.

His steps began to crunch, and he saw that below him the ground was now covered in a layer of white, the snow building up around him the further he walked.

He bent down, running his fingers through the substance, balling his fist around some of it. He stood back up, opened his palm to survey it. The snow was cold, but began to melt in the warmth of his hand, the outsides turning into an icy liquid that pooled along the lines in his skin.

It was then, captivated by the snow, that he had a picture jump to the front of his mind. A quick glimpse of sunlight and a canopy of trees being seen through a different set of eyes. The tall grasses that lay furthest from the path swayed in a slight breeze, the smell of grass and bark and warm air was compelling, a feeling of content had washed through the individual he had been seeing through as she continued to walk down a forest path.

He blinked. Looking at the now complete pool of water in his hand, the snow finally melted.

He threw the water to the ground before trudging on. The visions were becoming more frequent now, at least once a day he experienced them. Always the same, always in that warm place surrounded by nature and sun. Light, happy feelings overtook him as he bore witness to the flashing images his mind chose to show him.

He had shared them with no one, had told none that something was happening to him. They would all think him to be mad. But now, there was no one left for him to tell, his kin gone in the night, slaughtered by his own brother.

His father. His mother. Dead.

What had happened? Why had his brother slain everyone they loved, all their blood trailed through the houses, through the streets. Sasuke found their bodies, mangled and severed, scattered around the complex.

It took everything in his power to not fall to his knees, to sink down into the snow and allow the cold to take him, to let his life slip down into the frozen dirt.

The snow came down harder then, a brisk wind pushing against his back as if it was telling him to keep moving.

So, he did.


	4. Chapter 3: Sakura

"It's hot," Kiba whined for the thousandth time that day. We had been traveling for a little under a week at that point, but ever since nearing the border into the Summer Court, the temperature increased drastically.

I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling as Kiba was getting increasingly more annoying. For the most part, he kept quiet and to himself, but then when he did open up that mouth of his, everything that came out was always irksome.

"Could you be quiet?" I asked, paying careful mind in stepping over a large tree root that jutted onto the path. I then ran smack into his back as he'd stopped moving, but since my eyes were on the ground I hadn't noticed in time.

"Oof!" I rubbed the side of my face. "Why'd you stop?" I looked around him expecting there to be something or someone impeding their journey, but there was absolutely nothing. Before us lay what had been a constant in the forest: a grassy path with taller grasses and wider bushes lining the walkway while thick, old trees were rooted in the grounds as far as I could see. Some rays of sun had even snuck their way through the massive canopy to highlight different areas.

"Listen here, Pinky," he threatened and turned around to face her. Standing so close together, it was clear how huge of a height advantage he had over me, but there was no way I would give him the satisfaction of backing down. "You just joined our little group here, you don't get to boss me around."

My arm swept out to the side in one swift motion. "Again with the 'Pinky'? Stop calling me that!"

He stood still for a few seconds and then went to flick me on the nose, but I caught his wrist with such precision. His eyes opened only a fraction wider, his pride preventing him from looking like an utter moron.

I smirked in satisfaction. "Let's not forget who has the upper hand here." My eyebrows rose up, silently daring him to try anything else.

He ripped his arm back, and mumbled under his breath. "Fucking fae."

"Play nice," Hinata's voice ripped through their staring feud. She came over and grabbed Kiba's shirt, fisting a large amount of fabric in the middle of his back and gave a yank to make him keep moving.

"Let go of me," he snarled at her and awkwardly maneuvered out of her grip. He stormed off ahead, muttering to himself all the while.

"What's his problem?" I asked her. "He's so...so..."

"Angry?" Hinata offered. "Stubborn? Pig-headed?"

"Yes!" I threw my hands in the air.

"He did just lose his family not long ago," she answered. "Though, it is easy to lose sight of that when he acts like everyone is his nemesis."

As soon as she said those words, my blood ran cold in my veins. I'd forgotten all about his circumstances and why he was even here in the first place. "I'm such a fool."

She shook her head. "I think bickering is good for him. Well, most of the time anyway. A sense of normalcy and such."

We walked in companionable silence as I sorted through my thoughts. Normalcy, I needed that, too. My life had been one big ball of surreal lately.

Growing up in Konoha Palace was pretty easy, I didn't have any complaints. My father was always nice, and mother had been my best friend. Ever since she died though, things had been drastically different while walking throughout the halls.

When my mother left this world, the colors turned dim, and the laughs grew bitter. Father tried to keep a smile on his face when he was around me, but I caught him a few times when he thought I wasn't looking. He looked exhausted, as if he aged half a millennium overnight. Nothing I did brought the light back into his eyes fully.

And that damned pendant, the crystal within was given to me by my mother. I hated that it was needed to destroy darkness, as I wanted to toss the thing into the bottom of the seas rather than wear it around my neck for the remainder of my days. A reminder of such a horrid loss.

But the longer I was apart from it, the more aware I was of its missing presence. As if there was a piece of me that was missing, and nothing else would fit into the empty spot. And the spot just kept growing bigger and bigger.

I shook my head and brought myself from those thoughts.

Turning to Hinata, I asked, "How did the two of you meet?" It was extremely rare for a fae to have companionship with a human. The two beings had such a difference in lifespans that fae tended to keep away from them altogether. Although, some fae looked at them as pets and kept them around for entertainment or labor purposes. To my knowledge though, all of those individuals were from the Summer Court. Perhaps even a majority of the Winter Court as well, though their dealings have been kept hush hush from the other three Courts for a while now.

She shook her head and let out a soft laugh. "We've been friends for a few years now." She gave a small smile, her eyes thoughtful. "He and his family took me in when I had nowhere else to turn."

"Do you mind if I ask where you're originally from? Which Court?"

Hinata drew the black cloak she had on around her body more protectively. Her face remained passive as she said, "I'm from the Fall Court."

"I've always wanted to go there, I've read about it in so many books, seen so many paintings depicting its likeness," I said.

She smiled. "Maybe one day you'll get to see it for yourself."

"But not today," Kiba barked. "I am not getting dragged all the way to the Fall Court when we just made it to the Velurian Crossing."

I popped my head around his frame and took in what lay ahead. A giant, round lake sat undisturbed just a dozen or so feet away. In the middle of the water was a tiny strip of land acting as a bridge from this side to the other. A cave waited at the end, and I assumed that's where we were headed.

"Have you ever been here?" I asked, waiting for anyone to answer.

They both shook their heads gravely, their eyes never shifting from the cave. Bumps formed along my arms as I wondered at what could be in there that gave this place such an eerie feel.

"Is there a way to go around?" If we could bypass this place then that would be for the best.

Hinata spoke up. "No, we must go through. We have to speak with Baba Kikyo."

As if the name elicited it, the wind blew at their backs, urging them to move towards the cave. I pulled my arms around myself and shuddered.

None of us seemed to want to move, even after Hinata said we had to come here. I had no idea what I was walking into, but knew we'd accomplish nothing from standing around. Maybe Baba Kikyo was some kind of fortune teller in a market just on the other side of the cave. I repeated that thought over and over again as my feet carried me around Kiba and to the base of the land bridge.

I could sense the others slowly following behind, my heightened hearing picking up the slight rustle of their feet sifting through the grass.

"Keep to the land, don't go in the water," Hinata warned seriously.

Before slowly maneuvering my way across, I stood still and took a deep breath, letting the humid air fill my being and kick-start my courage.

Walking became easier the further we went along, the three of us in a single-file row since the land bridge was so incredibly narrow. My eyes darted to the nearby surface of the water, and I was surprised that it wasn't my own reflection that was staring back.

Instead, there were three yellowed eyes, and a gaping maw filled with row upon row of teeth set in a circle. Tiny, leafy arms sifted through the water ever so slowly, and the skin was some kind of translucent green. I could see its skeletal structure throughout, from its skull to its dangling tentacles deep below.

My shoulders bristled and I took a quick step back. Hands wrapped around my upper arms to steady me, and when I turned around, Kiba's face was very close. His eyes facing forward, not daring to look anywhere else.

"Don't look down," he urged. "Just keep going, they won't hurt you if you don't touch the water."

"What are they?" I whispered, not pulling away from him.

He gave me a nudge, beckoning me to continue. It took me a few seconds before my legs were able to move without shaking. I found myself wanting to take another look at the water, just to confirm that I indeed saw what I saw.

"They're Undead Grendels," he explained. "They won't come above the water, so you'll be fine as long as you don't even touch it."

I shivered and stepped forward, out of his reach. "Why did no one mention them beforehand?" I demanded with a resounding snap.

"Didn't want to scare you," Kiba smirked and put his hands behind his head. "Guess you still got scared anyway."

"What a piece of work you are," I huffed and began storming across the bridge once again, this time with a sense of urgency. That thing was following me all the while, and I did not want to be anywhere near it.

Just before I reached the point where the bridge met the other side of land, a low guttural sound bubbled up from the water. Looking at it against my better judgement, I saw that a mass of them had now formed, each one clawing at the one beside it to try and get closer to us.

"I hate those things," Hinata gagged as she stood next to me, looking back in the creatures' direction. "Baba Kikyo loves to keep them as pets, that's why there's so many."

I looked at her. "I'm still mad at you for not warning me about those horrible creatures." My feet carried me away, straight to the mouth of the cave.

Inside, my eyes could no doubt see further than Kiba's human eyes, which he was straining into the dark. I couldn't stop my smirk.

"Don't see the giant snake staring at you?" I teased.

His cheek twitched and he turned a weary look to Hinata. She neither confirmed nor denied my rouse, but only began the trek into the cave. I chuckled and jogged in after her.

It took only a few minutes for me to snap at Kiba.

"Do you want to warn all the monsters that we're coming with your obnoxious stomping?" I seethed, smacking him in the arm.

We were further in now, so I could just make out the outline of his features. He threw his hand in the air and angrily whispered back, "I'm being perfectly quiet!"

"Che," I mumbled. "Not to a fae."

"Well thank the goddess I'm not one," he threw back in spite.

"Listen to the two of you bicker like an old married couple," Hinata interjected. "There's no monsters. Just the Undead Grendels outside."

I felt her ears heat up in anger, but decided to keep my mouth shut.

"I think it's time to use this," Hinata spoke and took out what looked to be a small stone. Cracks scattered all over its surface, and underneath them was emanating a low green glow. It lit up her face in the darkness.

"What is that?" I asked, reaching out to touch it. Feeling its surface, I felt the coolness tap against the pads of my fingertips.

"I'm not completely sure," she answered. "Baba Kikyo gave it to me last time Kiba and I spoke with her in Brebel Outpost. Said if we ever needed to see her again, to come here and it would show us the way."

Kiba's clothes rustled a bit as he shuddered. "I thought that was going to be the last time we saw that creepy hag."

She gave him a skeptical look. "She wasn't that bad."

He just stared at her before looking pointedly at me. "You'll see what I mean."

Hinata clucked her tongue at him and turned on her heel. She placed the stone on her upturned palm and held it out to the cave like an offering.

The three of them stood silently, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, I shifted my weight to the right and put a hand on my hip.

"She didn't tell you how it works?"

"Well..." Hinata started, "no."

"What if we chuck it down there, really give it a good throw?" Kiba suggested.

Hinata spun on him. "And what if we lose it that way?"

"It's a weird glowing rock, how would we lose it?" he countered.

Before she could argue further, a cracking sound drew our attention to the cave entrance. There was something moving along the edge of it, a lanky form that quickly moved side to side as two red eyes stared into the cave. It had many, many legs, more than a spider. I couldn't grasp what it was, but it was creepy and huge. And it was staring right at us.

There was a few brief moments where no one moved, but then the creature surged forward into the cave, moving towards them at a rapid pace.

"Shit!" Kiba cursed and pushed them to run deeper into the cave.

Their boots pounded away at the cave floor, and I prayed I wouldn't hit a low lying rock and fall to the ground. Hinata held the rock up in front of her, but only to make sure we weren't about to run smack into the jagged walls, the light only giving off its faint glow a few feet ahead of us.

My ears perked up at the sound of a quiet _tap, tap, tap_ hurtling towards us, the creature's myriad legs rapidly moving across the cave floor.

Hinata grabbed Kiba and urged me to go faster. Going at Kiba's pace was not helping us one bit.

He made a sound of protest, and when Hinata tossed him over her shoulder, his protests only intensified. He shut up when we zipped through the cave at fae speed, increasing the distance between us and the creature scurrying behind.

Hinata's quick gasp caught me off guard.

"What?" I called to her.

"Look at that!" she exclaimed and pointed up to where a line of glowing green was being revealed in the light of the stone ceiling.

A smile cracked over my lips. "It's showing us the way!"

Hinata held her arm up higher, revealing more of the line we were to follow. The revelation came just in time when the cave veered off in two directions. We took the route to the right and kept following the line.

I couldn't hear the creature any longer, but we still maintained our speed. The cave went on and on with no end in sight. Time ticked by and my legs began to burn from the effort.

Hinata must've felt the same way when she said, "Let's slow down."

I sighed in relief, my legs wobbled to a stop as Hinata set Kiba down between us. He ran his hands through his hair and looked angrier than ever.

"Don't do that again," he ordered.

"You were slowing us down," I butt in. "Excuse me and Hinata for not wanting to be eaten."

"She's right, Kiba," Hinata insisted. "Now, we should have a fairly good lead on that thing, if it's still following us anyway. We can move normally now."

"I don't need help," Kiba kept going on about it. "So don't fucking do that again. I can take care of myself."

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to detangle it as we walked. "Your pride will get you killed."

He let out a bitter laugh. "You fae are going to get me killed."

Again with the negative talk. When he said he was thankful for not being a fae earlier, I just thought he was saying it to disagree with whatever I said at the moment. But now that he brought it up again, it made me angry.

"What's your problem?" I asked. "What've you got against us? We haven't done anything to you."

He threw his arm in front of me so fast, I could hardly believe the motion to be made by a human. His hand hit the side of the cave with a resounding smack, and his face was so close to mine I could feel his labored breaths coming out through his nose.

"Fae took everything from me," he seethed through clenched teeth. "And I won't ever forget that."

I pushed back against him, my chest pushing into his. Even though he was taller, I laid into him as best as I could.

"That wasn't us," I snarled. "That was Itachi Uchiha. The Summer Court. Kaguya. There are still fae fighting them to protect humans and fae alike."

I could feel his rapid heartbeats through his chest, and he simply kept breathing in and out in a steady but forced rhythm.

Shoving him away from me with both hands, I began walking once more. "We're fighting on your side with you right now. Getting my pendant back will seal away the darkness of our world. It'll stop all the fighting. Don't forget that."

Hinata looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there. Anxiety was written all over her face, but she said nothing. No doubt worried that Kiba would set me off and have me leaving them.

And then it was back, the _tap, tap, tap_ sound of the creature scurrying its way to try and find us.

We took off as soon as we heard it, no more fighting, no more words, just quick breathes in and out.

Part of me wanted to leave Kiba behind in the dust, show him just how stupid he was for not wanting my and Hinata's help. But, I just couldn't do it. Hinata lead them on, and I took the rear, leaving Kiba right in the middle.

After we turned at the next fork, all I knew was screaming and falling. The three of us were free falling, and I was surprised that I was the one screaming. Hinata was gripping the green-glowing stone like her life depended on it, but I couldn't see how it could save us now. Kiba was cursing left and right, trying to dig his knife into the side of the hole to stop his descent.

My hair whipped back from my face as I stared straight to the bottom of the dark abyss. Nothing, there was absolutely nothing. This fall could last a long time; it could take us straight to the other side of the world for all I knew. Or, the ground could rush up in the next second, ending our lives in an instant.

I spread my arms out wide to try slowing my descent, closed my eyes, and tried to think of a way out of this. Some sort of spell to save us all.

And then everything stopped, my hair falling down into my face, hanging over my shoulders. A light shown through my closed eyelids and I blinked them open. The three of us were hovering about a foot from the ground.

Standing to the right was an old woman, hair white as bone down to her knees. The ends frizzy and fraying. She was bent over at the waist as if a weight befell her back at all times, and in her left hand was a wooden staff that looked just as wild as the look in her eyes when she looked at us.

"Look at that, Itsy," she cackled in utter glee. "We've got guests."

The creature that'd been chasing them slunk into view and brushed up against her vibrant purple dress. My eyes popped open at the sight and I fought the urge to empty my stomach right there on the ground.

"That thing's your pet?" Kiba shouted. "It tried to eat us!"

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist," she quipped. "Itsy here wouldn't harm a fly...Well, except when she eats 'em!"

Suddenly, the spell the old woman had cast to save us dropped, leaving us grunting as the ground rushed up to meet us. I pushed off and gained my footing, Hinata did the same. Kiba remained fuming on the floor, glaring at the creature, Itsy.

"Baba Kikyo," Hinata addressed the crone. "We need your help."

The old woman eyed Hinata up and down, really taking all of her in. "You're the young pup I met before at Brebel." Her staff thudded against the ground as she turned her back to them and walked away. "This way."

Itsy eyed us for a moment longer before dutifully following its master.

I turned towards the others, raising an eyebrow at them. "That's who we need to talk to? Just what exactly is she going to tell us that's so important?"

Kiba finally got himself off the ground and fixed his weapon's belt to its proper setup. "Stupid bird's going to tell us where your pendant is with a locator spell."


	5. Chapter 4: Sasuke

The grey sky was concealed with clouds, expanding as far as he could see. The snow became deeper, it was an effort for Sasuke to pick his feet up as each time they sank deep into the snow.

His arms had long been crossed over his chest, trying to keep himself warm, but that was no longer working. Now, his crossed arms were unable to come apart, the cold seeping deep into his very bones, freezing them into place.

The wind continued to whip at his back, and it had now carried with it the sound of a howling wolf in the distance. He did not dare turn, did not dare take his eyes off the top of the steep hill he'd been climbing.

He needed to get to the top, needed to see what lay beyond.

It felt like he'd been climbing for hours by the time he finally reached it. His legs came to a halt as he surveyed the space before him.

Pine trees converged on his right, a bundle of them huddling together as the snow covered their branches, dropping down with the excess weight. To the left lay a patch of barren trees and rocks, the wind carrying off any snow that may wish to settle upon them though.

And straight ahead was a flash or orange in the distance. A fire, it was a burning fire just outside of what looked to be a cabin.

A choked sob escaped from deep inside him, his throat sore from the effort. His legs took convincing to continue on, but with the fire now before him there was a renewed sense of urgency in his movements.

Just a bit more. Just a little bit more he had to go.

But, he didn't make it to the fire, his legs gave out on him before then, his body tumbling to the ground, his face falling first into the wet snow.

There was no energy left for him to even roll over on his side. His vision blurred to blackness and then nothing.

XXX

"Why isn't he wearing furs or fleece?" a girl's voice worried over him.

"I'm more concerned about why he was alone," answered a man's gruff voice.

Sasuke eased his eyes open, blinking up at a clothed and wooden ceiling.

"Look, he's waking up!" rang the first voice, a delicate excitement lay in the girl's words.

The girl, no more than ten, was sitting in a wooden chair to his right. Brown eyes, a small nose and round face stared down at him, her blonde hair was in pigtails and a woolen hat lay upon her head. Her clothes looked just as warm, a layer of wool was peaking out around the edges of her jacket.

"'Bout time," huffed the man.

Sasuke turned to him then. The man looked to be about fifty, his graying hair poking out atop his ears, and his beard was short but ran the full length of his jaw. He wore the same style of hat and jacket as the young girl, but rather than excitement shining in his features there was disdain and mistrust.

"Who are you, boy?" The man glared at him.

It took all the energy Sasuke had for him to try and sit up. The girl gave a slight noise of protest, but he continued until his back was against the headboard, a pillow beneath his lower back.

He lifted his hands out from under a set of blankets. They shook slightly from the cold, but he was pleased to see that he could at least still feel all his fingers. He bent them, and he welcomed the ache he felt there.

"What were you doing out there?" barked the man, unwillingly to let Sasuke rest now that he was awake. It was then that Sasuke noticed the crossbow slung across the man's lap, his finger read at the trigger as the arrow pointed at Sasuke's chest.

He opened his mouth, but then didn't know what words to allow passed his lips.

"You're from the Summer Court, aren't you?" he accused, spitting out the nationality like it burned his tongue. "One of their fae."

Sasuke shook his head immediately. He knew better than to claim his home to these people. For all the scars the Summer Court had lay upon the peoples of other nations, he knew what any one of them would do to someone claiming to be from the Summer Court.

"Are you from the Land of Wind, then?" the girl piped up. "Your skin is more tan than ours. We barely get to go outside without a ton of layers on because of all the snow."

The Spring and Summer Court were known for their warmth, so it wasn't a stretch that he would look like a Spring Court resident. So, he nodded.

But, the old man interjected, jabbing a finger into Sasuke's chest. "You came through the Gelidus Pass. If you were coming from Spring, you'd be coming from the South, not the east."

Thinking fast, he claimed, "I escaped, I was a prisoner in Summer."

The man eyed him, skepticism clear across his features. But, he didn't press for more. The girl on the other hand was a flurry of responses.

"That sounds awful, it's a good thing you escaped! And a good thing that Blaze found you before you froze to death." She gestured to a ruddy colored dog laying across the room in front of a fireplace. "No wonder you weren't dressed properly, you were just running away as fast as you could. You must have been traveling for days."

He had been. He'd slept so little as he ran from the Summer Court, had only really eaten berries he'd found along the way in the very beginning.

"I'll leave you now," Sasuke said, making to push the blankets off of himself.

The little girl protested. "You should sleep more, it's the middle of the night. It's not safe in the dark."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'll be on my way, I won't bother you anymore. Thank you for saving me."

The girl became visibly upset by this, and she pointedly stared at the old man. "We should give him warm clothes, Papa."

The man did not argue with her, nor did he give another glare Sasuke's way. Instead, he left his chair, making his way across the room to begin pulling various items from a set of drawers.

He dumped the pile on the bed atop Sasuke's legs. "Here. Dress and leave."


	6. Chapter 5: Sakura

**A/N: Hey! If you've been reading from the beginning, I just wanted to tell you that I went back and edited it! Biggest changes are that Ino was supposed to be Hinata (My mistake, sorry!) and the Sakura POV is now in first person. :)**

**XXX**

Baba Kikyo lead us into an underground grotto. Tapestries of various patterns hung slack on the wall, fraying at the edges from old age. There were bottles and vials with liquids in them, some were labeled but most weren't.

Everything looked haphazardly placed, but the crone moved about this way and that with confidence, gathering supplies in her shaking hands.

"So," I started, "she's a witch?"

Hinata spoke in hushed whispers. "She prefers to be called a mage. Kiba called her a witch last time and she turned his skin purple. It took a while to come off."

I turned to look at Kiba and laughed, picturing him staring back with a purple face.

"Shut it," he grunted and crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the cave wall.

Baba Kikyo turned to the three of us then, pointing directly at me. "Come closer," she ordered. She leaned her staff against the table she was hovering over, and began arranging the odds and ends she gathered from around her dwelling.

My steps were careful, slow, as I inched forward, eyes darting to where Itsy was sitting in the corner, her numerous legs continuously twitching.

As I got to the table, I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and waited for further instructions. I'd never met a witch before, or rather a mage, but always wanted to. Getting a front row seat at her working was surreal. I wanted to reach out and pick up one of the vials closest that contained a slimy, orange substance, but thought better of it since I didn't want to be turned into an animal of some sort.

"Hold out your hand for me, girl." Her outstretched hand waited for me to place my hand there.

But, I couldn't do it without asking a few questions. "What are you doing?"

"Why, finding that which is lost. Is that not why you're here?" Her hand remained where it was, suspended in mid air.

"How do you know that though?" My head cocked to the side. "We never even said a word to you and you knew what we wanted."

She blinked once, twice. The gold flecks in her wild eyes danced against the flickering flames from torches placed along the wall. She licked her lips and leaned in closer. "I know many things, Princess Sakura."

I couldn't help but take a slight step back. "How did you know who I am?"

She sighed and pushed her hand closer. "This needs to be done."

No longer in control of my body, I was a helpless witness as I watched my arm extend before me, hand settling against Baba Kikyo's palm. I tried and tried to pull back, to fight the foreign sensation, but my efforts were in vain.

Tears sprang to my eyes as Baba Kikyo took out a serrated knife and dipped the tip in the middle of my palm. The pain hit like a jolt, and the blood pooled as the skin opened like a caged door.

"Hey," Kiba called from behind. "What's going on?" I heard his footsteps, but couldn't turn my head to see him.

Baba Kikyo's eyes flicked in his direction only for a moment. "Itsy, playtime."

From the corner of the room, Itsy let out a squeal that sounded like a mix between a scream and rocks hitting against each other.

I heard Kiba grunt next accompanied by a loud thump. "Get this fucking thing off of me!"

"Play nice," she chimed and continued to dig the blade into my skin to make the opening bigger. "She won't bite."

She took the blade away then, and turned my hand over so the blood poured down onto the map. It dripped into the center, created a raised red circle. When she had enough, she finally turned my hand over and let go.

And just like that, I had control over my own body once again. I snatched my hand back so fast and cradled it against my chest. With my fist closed, blood squeezed out and dribbled out of the side, cascading down my wrist.

"You're crazy," I yelled and stepped away. I could feel the pounding of my heart where the wound was, and it kept me grounded, but I still continued shouting. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer, but rather she had her hands hovering over the map and she was chanting under her breath. A nearby candle flickered with her words, and I wasn't sure, but it seemed to be glowing brighter.

I shook my head and went back to watching her. Movement from the map caught my attention, my eyes roving to where my blood was currently traversing over the papered drawings of rivers and mountains. Something Kiba said rushed back to me, this was a locator spell. I had no idea how she knew I was looking for my pendant, but right in front of me she was going to say where to find it.

My feet drew me nearer to the map once more. Though my hand was still aching, the sensation was put to the back of my mind as I watched my blood move. It drew itself in a long, thin line, and then the front of it stopped and waited for the rest of it to catch up and become a perfect circle once more. The blood did not move again, but stayed in a neat, little area just outside of Dewport.

Slowly, my eyes tilted up to look at Baba Ana, but my head remained down. "Dewport?" I whispered unbelievably. "My pendant is near there?"

She hummed in answer and clapped her hands together. Rocking back and forth, she had an odd smile on her face. "Such an interesting thing," she marvelled at me. "Yes, you will find what you seek there, but be warned. The one who carries it must not be harmed."

I cocked my head back in surprise. "What are you saying? We'll probably have to fight to get it back. My pendant was stolen after all. It's not like some small, innocent child will be the one carrying it," I scoffed.

She gave me an open-mouth smile, and I wanted to cringe at all of her missing teeth, with only a few hanging in there.

"It was no child," she started, "but, he is necessary in your mission. You must not harm him."

She was so insistent on it. "Can you tell us who he is?"

"You know of him, many know of him," she said vaguely. She clucked her tongue and pointed behind me. Turning, I saw Hinata batting Itsy away and trying to keep Kiba from cutting the thing to pieces with his sword. "He fills their hearts."

It took me a second, but then it came to me and I became hot starting from my head and running all the way down the length of my body. "Itachi Uchiha," I whispered.

She gave a slight nod in answer.

Hinata and Kiba hadn't heard our conversation, for which I was glad. Breaking this kind of news to them would be hard. Not only were we here right now with the mindset of destroying Itachi Uchiha, but now Baba Ana is urging us not to harm him. For what purpose exactly, I wasn't even sure.

"I don't get it," I said and turned back to look at her. "Why can't we hurt him? There's no possible way that we need him." Other than dead, really.

She shook her head and slowly said the words, "He is needed to restore the power into the pendant. Without his powers of darkness, your pendant will remain dormant."

"What are you saying?" My voice shook. "Right now, it's powerless?"

"Yes, you will need to bring it to the far reaches of our land. To Luris Bay and Gernotte Forest you shall go. Find the shrines there, and restore the power."

"How do I even do that?" I asked. I've never heard of my ancestors' artefacts losing their powers. Of course, I would be the first one for it to happen.

She scooped up the items she'd assembled for the spell, and began shuffling her way around to put them back on the various shelves she kept.

"Now, what would be the fun in telling you that?" She cackled. "There are some things I'd like to keep to myself." She turned to me with a sadistic grin on her face, daring me to ask more questions only to get completely shot down.

My hands tightened into angry fists. "You're insane if you think we'll meet Itachi Uchiha and have it not end in a fight."

She grabbed the staff from where it was leaning against the table. Her fingers grazed over the intricate designs in the middle of the wood, and stopped just before the designs grew further apart to separate into different twiggy paths that went all the way to the top.

"Regardless," she shrugged, a mischievous look still donned her features. "The pendant must be found, you have no choice."

I wanted to throw my hands up in frustration, grab my hair and start pulling it in a million directions and scream at the top of my lungs. How in the world was I going to do this? The only special thing about me is what I can do with that pendant. I can't fight a skilled warrior like Itachi Uchiha and come out victorious. And Kiba meant well, but he's a human and he'd be dead in a second. Hinata...I actually had no idea what her battle skills were like. She may be the only one who could stand a chance.

"Regardless," I shot back, half in mock and half in annoyance at the whole situation, "thank you for helping. You're a really skilled witch to be able to do that."

The air grew dense, and all sounds hushed. Baba Ana's hair began to sway with an odd breeze that befell the small space.

"Witch?"

Oh, crap.

The glimmer that was once there vanished in an instant, and she thumped her staff on the ground three times. "Let's see how nice you think I am now."

And I was falling.

But, it was bright. Above me was the light blue of the sky and white puffy clouds. I rotated my body to look in the direction I was moving in, and when I saw the water I panicked.

It was the lake we walked next to on our way to the cave.

The one with all the Undead Grendels in it.


	7. Chapter 6: Sasuke

**A/N: Hey! If you've been reading from the beginning, I just wanted to tell you that I went back and edited it! Biggest changes are that Ino was supposed to be Hinata (My mistake, sorry!) and the Sakura POV is now in first person. :) **

**XXX**

Nearly three days had passed since Sasuke's run in with the girl and old man. After he'd dressed in the provided clothes, the man had pointed him in the direction he should take to get to the nearest village. The wool coat and trousers the man had borrowed him had proven useful in the snowy climate. The cloak wrapped tightly around his body was an extra form of protection from the onslaught of snow and ice that continued to pelt him as he traversed the mountain path.

When night fell, he sought caves for shelter. He could not light a fire, but even if he had the materials to do so he would not dare. He was in no position to alight his location for the nightly terrors that appeared under the cover of the darkness.

He had cocooned around himself underneath the cloak, pulling his arms through the sleeves so they could lay skin to skin. He spent his nights that way, in a half sleep always, waking at every little sound that disturbed the air around him.

The visions came to him then, and they also came in the day. Brief glimpses of clear skies and grand forests. Happiness dripped through him like warm honey in those moments, the most beautiful laughter bubbles through the person he was seeing through. A chiming in the silence, ringing in a sweet breeze.

He welcomed the visions openly, wishing they would happen more often that they did because when they weren't taking up his mind, there were other things that he had to subject himself to.

Thoughts of his brother plagued him with every breath he inhaled, with every blink of his eyes. The image of his mother and father laying on the floor in their home was a permanent fixture as he trudged through the elements.

The only time his mind was not filled with seeing their dead bodies, or seeing the serene visions, was when a long shadow appeared from behind him. He jumped, turning with his arms up ready to defend himself, but nothing was there.

It had come from the sky. High above him was a shimmering, scaled body of a dragon. The great head horned and proud, the body long and sleek, not like any other dragon he'd ever seen before.

The dragon flew past him lazily, not even giving him a second glance, and continued on until he curved to the right and wrapped around a mountain, his tail eventually disappearing from sight.

Sasuke took a few deep breaths before continuing on.

Before the dragon appeared, he had not even realized how the horizon had begun to take shape once more. The last few days he had been able to see nothing in the distance, no visibility whatsoever.

But now, now he could see the outlines of mountains standing up to either side of him, the path before becoming less dense from snow, tall grasses were even poking out from the top of the white substance.

And not ten minutes later, the ever present falling snow had turned to rain, the ground before him finally ebbing into dirt once again. The grass went from a pale blue to a green so alive that it filled his nostrils with a fresh scent that danced along the wind.

There, far in the distance, a display of lights flickered on the side of a mountain. A village. He had made it, the man had been truthful in his direction giving.

The sky began to darken, but Sasuke did not dare stop, not when he was so close. He continued on in the night, his pace growing faster.


	8. Chapter 7: Sakura

I didn't know what to do with my arms or legs, and I'm pretty sure they were doing some flapping motion in the slight hope that I could actually fly like a bird. But, my brain wasn't completely functioning, I was too busy calculating how much longer it would take for me to smack right in the middle of the creature infested waters.

Closer and closer I drew to it, and more and more yellow dots appeared below me. I could see my reflection among them now, and their mouths opened and shut around it like I was already there.

A scream ripped out of my throat at the sight, and tears traced the outer edges of my eyes and slid across my temples into my hair.

Just before I hit the water's surface my body slipped to the side, sliding along a hill of ice and snow. I moved along the water's surface, now below a layer of ice, looking right into the eyes of a mass of Undead Grendels, all screeching out in horrible voices and clawing at themselves and each other as if it would make me jump into their mouths.

I couldn't help but let out a whimper. I was not a fighter, I was just lucky to be born a fae and have heightened abilities. I've lived cooped up in a palace my whole life, and it was becoming increasingly annoying that I was utterly helpless when I needed competence the most.

The Undead Grendels followed me the whole way as I slid across the now frozen water, and I stared straight into their eyes unblinkingly.

When I finally collided onto land, I let out a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, trying to burn the frightful image of those creatures out of my brain. But, I'd probably have nightmares about them for the rest of my life.

Unceremoniously, I plopped to the ground, my face landed smack into the grass. My mouth suffered a large quantity of it, and I quickly sputtered to get the blades and dirt off my tongue.

A snickering sound caught my attention, and I whipped my head around to see where it was coming from.

Just a few feet away from me stood a male, short blonde hair that barely covered the tips of his ears, and a pair of the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. He wore a serene smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he spoke, his voice on the verge of laughter.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, now picking out the last remaining pieces of grass off my tongue.

"Go for a late afternoon swim with the beasties," he teased and walked over to the edge of the water. "They look rather hungry."

I pushed myself off the ground and padded dust of my clothes. The cut on my palm almost completely healed from moments before, just a raw, pink scar left in its wake. "Thank you for stopping my fall. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't helped."

He cocked his head and gave me a huge toothy grin. "You're welcome. Name's Naruto, and who might you be?"

He bent low in a playful bow, which made a laugh bubble out of me. "I'm..." Oh goddess, what do I say? Do I tell him my real name, or should I make up a fake one?

"Sakura!" Hinata's voice carried over to us, and I looked past Naruto to see that she and Kiba were sprinting out of the cave and across the bridge at a quick pace.

I waved my hand in the air. "I'm okay! Come over here!"

Kiba was out of breath by the time they made it to where we waited. Hinata's cheeks had a slight flush to them, but she was breathing normally.

"What happened?" she asked. "One second you were there and the next you were gone!" She looked me up and down, trying to see if I was hurt no doubt.

I couldn't help my sigh. "I called her a witch on accident, and next I was up there." I pointed into the air above the lake. "I almost landed in the water, but Naruto saved me."

Naruto looked rather proud of himself, as if he was puffing up his chest like a bird. "Just doing my job," he remarked confidently. He looked directly at Hinata then. "And who might you be?"

A slight blush appeared on the bridge of her nose at the look Naruto was giving her. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Hinata," she answered, her voice a tad quieter but her accent still apparent.

Naruto perked up happily and walked closer to her. "I don't recognize your accent. Tell me, where are you from, my dear?"

I almost laughed at the whole thing. I'd never seen someone flirt so openly before. It made me a little uncomfortable, but mostly I was amused.

"The Fall Court." She mustered all the confidence she had into her eyes. "From Draguen."

"Can't say that I've been," Naruto said and shrugged his shoulders, his head ducked yet he looked at her from under his eyelashes. "You'll have to show me around."

"Uh...sure." She began to inch her way towards me, giving a wide berth to Naruto . He turned to face her every step of the way.

"You sure you're okay?" Hinata asked me once more.

I nodded. "Yeah, I really am. Though I have to tell you what Baba Kikyo told me in the cave." I didn't want to say the next part, but we had to get a move on in the hopes that my pendant would stay put. "Itachi Uchiha has my pendant, and he's near Dewport."

Kiba bustled his way to me and grabbed the front of my shirt. "Dewport?" His nostrils flared in anger. "She's sure about it?"

I stepped back and shoved his hands away from me. His attention was completely fixed on me, I'm not even sure he was registering his actions.

"Yes."

He turned away from me then and began marching his way through the forest. I jogged to catch up with him and stood in his way, my arms stretched out to block him from moving any further. "We can't kill him. We need him alive."

"Alive? Are you fucking with me?" He spat each word out. "He murdered my family, my village. He's going to pay."

"I know you don't want to listen to me," I pleaded. "But, Baba Kikyo said we need him to restore the power to my pendant. We have to take him to some shrines with us."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, approaching us very cautiously, as if Kiba were a frightened animal that would scare away at a moment's notice. "Your pendant lost its powers?" Her face grew white as she asked the question.

"Apparently," I ground out. I was frustrated, and I still didn't know how we were going to get Itachi Uchiha to come with us. "I don't know what happened, but I won't be able to use it unless we restore it at the two temples Baba Kikyo told me about." I searched my brain for the names. "Luris Bay and Gernotte Forest."

"I know the way to Luris Bay," Naruto popped into the conversation. "I'm not really sure of what's going on completely, but I'd like to tag along." He gave a dashing smile in Hinata's direction. She pointedly looked at the sky.

"Are you a strong fighter?" I couldn't stop my mouth from popping the question. We needed some strength in the group if we were going to have even a chance at succeeding.

I could tell that he didn't quite know what to make of my question. "I am a fairly good fighter." He put his hands in the air and wiggled his fingers at us. "Though my strongest ability is magic."

"What are you?" My reflexes had me gulping. "What I'm really asking is what do you want to be called?" I've learned my lesson.

"I don't really care." He cocked a smile. "Mage, warlock, devilishly handsome magician." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Take your pick."

He made me laugh again, but I could see Hinata stiffen at the joke.

"I'm not sure if you guys know how to get to Luris Bay..." I looked back and forth between Kiba and Hinata. Both gave me expressions that said they didn't know, so I said, "We need to go to Dewpoint first, but would you please join us?"

"No problem."

"It'll be dangerous," I warned.

"Sounds fun."

"A lot of fighting," Hinata added.

He swooped in close to her and took her hands in his. "I would fight anyone to stay by your side."

Kiba grunted and crossed his arms. "We don't even know this guy. What were you doing here in the first place?" He glared at the other male, and slightly crouched into a defensive position to await a response.

"AH!" Naruto spun around and ran to where he was before. He bent over at the waist and began frantically searching for something. He stopped and plucked a flower out of the ground and stood back up. "I was looking for this. The Dusmoor flower."

He held in his hand a delicate looking plant, its petals the color of a stormy sky. Vibrant streaks of yellow ran the length of each petal, and in the center was a brilliant shade of green.

"I've never seen a flower like that before," I couldn't help but gush. Back home, the gItachis had always been magnificent, my favorite place to be. I'd surround myself daily by the flora and feel utterly calm in their sweet smells and delicate features. "It's gorgeous."

"That it is," he spoke. "But, it's value is greater than pure beauty. I needed it to help this little one."

He pushed aside his brown cloak to reveal a satchel. He unfastened the top and opened it to let us see the baby dragon inside.

"Is that..." I started.

"Flying fuck, how'd you find it?" Kiba asked excitedly. He pushed both me and Hinata out of the way so he could get a better look. "They're so rare."

"I've had her my whole life," Naruto explained, looking down at the dragon with warmth. "She's my best friend, and greatest confidant." He winked at the last word.

Stirring out of a sleep, the small white and sky colored dragon lifted her head and peered at us with dark blue eyes and a glazed over expression. She slowly unfurled herself and her tail went over the side of the bag to swing freely, yet she kept her wings tucked in neatly behind her.

She looked at all of us and gave Naruto a look that seemed to say 'what's going on?'

"Here ya go, Nix," Naruto said and leaned the flower in front of the dragon's face.

The dragon, Nix apparently, sniffed at the thing before tentatively taking the whole thing in her mouth. I watched as her sharp, little teeth became visible as she chewed.

"Poor girl's been sick, and I needed to get her a Dusmoor flower for her to get better. This was the closest area they grow in, so I came here. That's when I saw you fall from the sky," he spoke and looked at me.

Nix gulped the flower down and let out a bit of steam through her nostrils. A happy whine escaped her and she leapt out of the bag and onto the top of Naruto's head and shoulder.

"Happy to be of service, bud." Naruto smiled and put one of his hands on the top of Nix's head.

"If you've had her your whole life," I started, "why isn't she any bigger? I thought dragons grew to be enormous creatures?"

I'd only seen drawings of dragons in books, and none of them looked like Nix. She was so tiny and cute, rather than big and ferocious.

"She's an Aevita dragon," he explained. "She'll stay this size for her whole life. Well, until she wants to grow big. But that can only be done in short bursts."

"That's amazing," I gushed and walked towards the two of them. I reached out my hand for Nix to sniff, her nostrils grazing over my scent and deemed me worthy enough to pet her. My smile was so big on my face that my cheeks began to hurt.

Nix's scales weren't as hard as I thought they'd be, in fact they were rather soft and felt more like satin. Her wings were a mix of feathered and scaled, which gave her a very ethereal look.

"She's gorgeous." I think Nix knew what I was saying because she titled her head in a way that said 'I know that already.'

"Would you like to hold her?" he asked.

"Really?" I gushed and held out my hands. Naruto took her from his person and I cradled her like a baby to my chest. She was cold to the touch, but I paid no mind.

"I'm going to walk to Dewport just like this," I stated and began to walk away. I wasn't sure which direction to go, so I took the path Kiba had tried to storm off in earlier. Thinking back to that moment only made me happier that Naruto showed us Nix. Kiba seemed to have forgotten all about Itachi Uchiha for those few moments, which gave him the chance to cool down.

Though I could see that Kiba was back to thinking about who we were going after once more. His eyes changed from wonder at Nix to hatred in a split second.

Nix rumbled in happiness in my arms, and I wanted nothing more in that instant than to carry her like I said I would. But, instead, I went over to Kiba and plopped Nix into his arms, forcing him to carry her. She gave a startled growl but then settled in.

"Carry Nix," I ordered. "I need you to stay calm or this trip is going to be horrendous."

"I am calm," he snapped. Though his attention switched to the dragon in his arms and his face lost just a bit of its fury. I wanted to give myself a pat on the back.

"Who's leading?" I asked.

Hinata silently moved to the front and began walking into the forest. Naruto took off after her and began a conversation of sorts, which turned out to be only one-sided on his end. I shook my head at his enthusiasm and Hinata's shyness.

"This is a shit show," Kiba grumbled from beside me. We were just about ten feet behind the other two, and Kiba kept his voice hushed because of the proximity.

"Why are you being quiet all of a sudden?" I mock whispered, poking fun at him. "You've never cared what you've said before."

He sneered in response, but lightened up when Nix nuzzled her head deeper into his chest.

"You're such a softy," I couldn't help but say.

"Shut it," he quipped.

I pushed my hair so that it cascaded down my back, and gave him a fierce look. "You know I won't let you hurt Itachi Uchiha. Not when we need him."

"I don't give a fuck what you say, I'm killing him."


	9. Chapter 8: Sasuke

To get to the village, Sasuke had to cross a long wooden bridge. He took one tentative step onto it, but it swayed uneasily, the wind pushing it even farther.

He looked behind him, his eyes trained to see in the dark, and saw nothing. There were no creatures prowling towards him, so he would be able to take his time in crossing.

The rope cut into his hands it was so taut, his grip crushing. One step. Two. Three. He counted the steps he took as he crept across the bridge. The wind swaying it slightly, but thankfully the wind was only blowing to the south so it only moved the bridge on direction a tad.

It was in the middle of the bridge that a vision hit him so suddenly, so painfully that he fell to his knees.

Running, the woman was running through a dark cave, an old, ancient piece of land. She careened through the darkness, and Sasuke lived her anxiety and fear. As she turned back around to find something, listening to the quick tapping sounds and her own thrumming heart, Sasuke was thrust back into his own world.

The bridge was quivering below him furiously, his hands now gripping the wooden planks rather than the rope, splinters embedding themselves into the flesh of his palms. He hissed as he stood, pulling the tiny slivers from his skin.

He knew those feelings well, the feeling of being lost, scared. He had just felt those same things just over a week ago when he arrived home to find his parents murdered by his brother.

What was happening to her? He could not prevent the feeling of helplessness as it washed over him. This light in his life that he had been given should not need to worry about a sorrow such as this. He had found comfort in her happiness, his own rage soothed over, mollified somewhat, because of her.

He needed to find her, but how?

Closing his eyes, he searched through his memory for anything that might point him in the right direction, a sign that he could use as he asked around.

His mind recalled every vision, every detail that he had not thought twice about before. Finally, he landed on a seal that lay above a doorway, a coat of arms that bore a proud tree, the roots long and deep, flourishing this way and that, and inlaid into the trunk of the tree was a blazing sun.

That was it, a coat of arms would work.

He opened his eyes and moved faster across the bridge, each second to pass felt excruciating knowing that the woman from his visions was in such distress. She was not safe, and he felt compelled to find and protect her. An ache ripped through his body, the desire to be next to her rather than continue to see these visions was so incredibly strong.

For a fleeting moment, a voice nagged in the back of his mind, asking how he even knew if this woman existed, if she was in fact just a figment of his imagination.

But, he waved it off instantly. She was real, he knew it deep in his gut that she was out there, and that he could help her.

His boot hit soft grass rather than splintered wood and he let out a sigh of relief. He tossed aside his cautious movements now that he was back on solid ground, and he took off into the night.

The village was imbedded into the mountain side, the roads going up and then twisting to go the opposite direction in a zigzag formation, going all the way to the top. His legs ached with the effort, but they did not buckle, did not phase him as he rose higher and higher, looking madly for the nearest inn.

He had just turned the corner and there it was. The door lay just beyond a low gate. He opened it up and took just three strides before his hand clasped around the bronze door handle.

The inn was quiet, just one hallway leading up to a flight of stairs at the back of the room. A fire sat crackling in the middle of the space, a grate secured around it. A man and a woman huddled there, their bodies leaning close together as they murmured to each other when Sasuke hurried passed them.

The boy behind the counter was startled at Sasuke's urgency, and he stood up in awkward haste.

"Do you know anything about a family crest bearing a tree with a sun carved into the trunk?" he asked, his body leaning over the counter slightly.

The boy gaped at him, but shook his head. "Did...did you want a room, sir?"

Sasuke couldn't stop the growl from coming out, and now the boy was even more terrified.

"You speak of the Balmenor Tree." The answer came from a corner of the room, a man standing in front of an armchair. Sasuke had completely missed his presence in his rush.

The man had a hand to his side, fingers resting on the hilt of a broadsword as he gave Sasuke a leveled stare.

Sasuke put his hands up in front of him. "I mean no harm, I'm trying to find a castle with that insignia."

The man did not drop his hand. He did not step closer to Sasuke. "If you are in need of the castle, then I would suggest you leave quickly. The journey there is long and difficult, not one for the faint of heart."

But Sasuke kept gazing at the sword attached at the man's hip. If the journey was to be as challenging as the man says, then Sasuke would need to prepare himself. He had no weapons to his name, so how was he to get some?

"What could I give you for that sword?" Sasuke asked.

The man's eyes widened, his fingers clutching at the hilt even tighter. "I would never part with it."

The silence stretched on, Sasuke struggling to figure out if he should attempt to just steal the sword outright and run for it, or if he should find another way. The thieving seemed easiest, but he could not bring himself to take a step towards the man.

As if understanding the inner battle Sasuke had raging behind his eyes, the man spoke again. "There is a blacksmith that should be able to help you with your lack of weapons." The man cocked his head in the direction of the door, a weary look set into his face. "I'll point you in the right direction."

Sasuke nodded and followed the man. His senses open for any kind of deceit all the while.

As they passed through the doors, the man pointed up the hill at a squat building, the candlelight flickering beyond the windows.

A quick thank you rolled from Sasuke's tongue before he made his way to the door, rapping his knuckles on the thick wood before pushing it open and walking in.


	10. Chapter 9: Sakura

Over the three days it took us to reach Dewport, Kiba barely gave up holding Nix. She grew accustomed to him, as she mostly would stay on top of his head for hours on end. At night though, she'd retreat to Naruto's side.

And every night, Naruto would hum a song to lull her to sleep. The melody had the same effect on me I found because I was never able to make it to the end of the song. And in my dreams, the sweet song twisted into horrible nightmares of fire and chaos. My mother returned to me in those visions of doom, but she always kept her back to me. I could never quite reach her before falling through the floor.

I'd wake up every time in a panic, sweat matting pink hair to my face. The darkness before the dawn covered us at these moments, though I knew Kiba was awake every time I was. His eyes glinting in the moonlight met mine just before I'd get up to splash cool water in my face in a nearby creek.

We never talked about it, though I could see that he wanted to. I wasn't sure if he wanted to because he felt like talking through his own demons himself, or if he was starting to get really worried.

It didn't matter, because I was not going to be sharing my nightmares with anyone. I wasn't going to open up about anything. These thoughts were mine alone to bear, I didn't want anyone else to carry them when they had their own worries and fears haunting their every thought.

Naruto tried his best to lighten the mood. And quite honestly, it was probably the best thing for us all when he joined the group. Nix was a delight in every which way, and Naruto was a great distraction.

He told us stories of his childhood and how his older sister had always been better at him when it came to magic, so he worked hard every day in order to overcome her power. And when he finally thought he could best her in a duel, she vanished. When he asked his father, he told him she left to look for a Fire Aevita Dragon.

"So I couldn't just sit back," he explained. "It was then that I went out to find an Ice Aevita Dragon." He lifted Nix high into the air. "And bing, bang, boom, I found Nix on the Gelumi Mountains."

"I thought you said you had Nix your whole life?" Hinata asked, her hands laced with one another behind her back as she walked.

"Well I got her when I was around 40 years old, so I guess it was more of a figure of speech." He laughed and threw Nix in front of him and into the air. She spread her tiny wings wide and soared through the air with a happy squeal coming from her mouth. She took to the skies above us, circling and looping around in different patterns. That was one of her favorite things to do as we traveled along.

Naruto continued on as he watched her fly. "After being together for 50 years, it just seems like I haven't lived very long without her."

"You're almost a hundred years old?" Kiba asked in shock. His mouth was open wide. "You don't look any older than your mid-twenties. How can you be so old?"

"Watch what you say." Naruto pointed at him in warning. "Don't just be going around calling people old." He huffed and tried to look put out, but he was failing because I could still see he had a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"How old are you?" Kiba turned to me unabashedly.

In that moment, I actually had to think about it. How old was I?

"Uhm...give me a minute." Wasn't I like 300? Or was it 400? I stopped celebrating birthdays at the palace even when Father wanted to keep up the tradition. I think it was his way of looking forward to something, but after I stood strong on the matter he eventually let me do what I wanted to do. "I'm going to say 350?" Just split it down the middle since I couldn't decide. "Father's over two thousand years old though." I couldn't help but smile at Kiba's astonished expression.

"And you?" Kiba turned to Hinata.

"I'd prefer not to say," she chewed on her words.

Kiba ran a hand through his hair, his go-to action for when he was feeling frazzled. "I'm surrounded by ancient things."

"Well," Naruto stated, "here's to these old butts for being awesomely powerful." He saluted him with an invisible glass and gave him a half smile.

"I wouldn't trade my humanity for anything in the world," Kiba said.

"I don't know why, but I find myself thankful when we are on the cusp of seeing a big, bad guy that I am a mage. Call me crazy, but I just can't grasp the answer," Naruto joked.

"Whatever." Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets and didn't say another word until we made it to the gates leading into Dewpoint.

I thought back to where my blood landed on Baba Kikyo's map. "If I remember correctly, we'll find my pendant northeast of the city."

Hinata nodded and lead the way. All of our cloak hoods were up, and Naruto called Nix down from the sky to place her back inside his satchel. She curled up into a cozy ball just before he hid her from view.

Our plan was put into motion.

Naruto spoke some words I couldn't begin to understand, but knew to be the cloaking spell he said last night that he could cover us in. There was a slight tingling sensation that ran across my skin, it felt like little bolts of lightning dancing here and there on my arms and down my legs.

I unsheathed my sword from my hip, Hinata took out a pair of wicked twin daggers, and Kiba knocked an arrow in his bow. Naruto lead us on, with Hinata bringing up the rear. Kiba was on the left and I was on the right, the four of us making a diamond of sorts.

Our feet fell silently over the terrain, grass wasn't rustled, and dirt wasn't scuffed by our boots. I was impressed when Kiba was barely making a sound as well.

We followed the outskirts of town, heading in the direction of where the map showed. The further we moved, the more we approached into farming territory.

Plowed fields surrounded us, leaving us nowhere to hide. Thank the goddess for Naruto's magical prowess, otherwise we'd most likely be targets in the field.

The sun was setting, and we saw minimal peoples walking about. They were moving leisurely, no doubt after a long day under the sun tending to the very fields we were walking through. Just that thought had me being more diligent to make sure not to step on the carefully laid out mounds of dirt. Just because we were here on a mission didn't mean these innocent people had to suffer for it.

And then I felt it. A ringing inside of me, tugging me, beckoning me forward. My blood sang with the sensation, begging me to unite with the force just up ahead.

My pendant.

It took a great amount of willpower on my end to stay back in formation. I wanted so badly to break free and do an all out sprint to where it was.

I made a quiet smack with my lips to grab Naruto's attention, and when he looked back at me I pointed to a farmhouse in the distance. That was where my pendant was.

Where Itachi Uchiha was.

It was odd to know how close he was and to not be seeing all sorts of destruction. I would have thought there would be flames all around, and buildings would have been burnt to ashes by the time we'd arrived at Dewport. But, nothing. Life was going on as if there wasn't a bloodthirsty monster in their midst.

Which only made me more nervous.

What if he wasn't here? What if he'd just left the pendant and run off back to Kaguya. Baba Kikyo said his magic was needed in order to restore my pendant's powers. I wasn't looking forward to chasing him down in the Summer Court, where he'd be surrounded by his own allies. I'd stand no chance. No way.

The abode was just a stone's toss away now, I could see candles flickering in the windows. A couple of shadows walked by, disturbing the light for a brief moment.

Naruto brought his hand up to signal our halt. He made a few hand motions, putting his hands and fingers into various positions, no doubt to channel magic in the specific way needed to create a barrier that would surround everything around us within a half-mile radius.

The tingling sensation from earlier left my body, and just as Naruto had told us yesterday we had to act as soon as the shielding spell was lifted from us.

Hinata wasted no time whatsoever and kicked down the door, her daggers held ready to strike down any enemy to cross her. Kiba was supposed to wait until I went in after her, but he completely sprung into action and raced into the house in front of me. It took me a couple seconds for it to register how stupid he really was.

"Kiba!" I couldn't help but scream as I sped in after him. I made it over the threshold of the door before he could barely step another foot. Yanking him back behind me, he growled in frustration.

"Let go," he barked, keeping his arrow securely knocked.

"Follow orders," I hissed and looked around the room we were standing in. Hinata still had her daggers out and she was cornering three individuals in what looked to be the kitchen. Chairs were thrown around and laid on the floor in various angles, food was splattered everywhere, even on some of the walls.

Cowering in the corner was an elderly man with a long, white beard and a bald head, a plump woman who kept her gray hair in a tight bun, and Itachi Uchiha.

There he was. Itachi Uchiha standing in front of the elderly couple, trying his best to shield them with his body as his hand was outstretched holding a small butter knife as a defense.


	11. Chapter 10: Sasuke

The silver sword lay on his hip, secured tightly in its holster as Sasuke sprinted from the store. The blacksmith had offered him a trade, a sword for his fine cloak. He agreed without a moment's hesitation. It had occurred to him that the cloak was a huge factor in how he had managed to remain alive over the past week, but he'd need a weapon if he was going to roam the world by cover of moonlight.

He was not frightened at this thought, traversing the lands beneath the moon and stars, he was only a bit leery of the wandering beasts and monsters that would impede his movements.

He had been a bladesmith before running from Summer. He was the person in charge of supplying the armies there with blades, swords, knives, and various other bladed death bringers. The sword on his hip was a pretty good tool, it would get him through alive at least.

He glanced at the map the blacksmith gave him, trailing his gloved finger down the path that brought him across two more bridges, head across rivers and trek through forests to get to Baria Forest.

He went back across the bridge that brought him to the village not a half hour earlier and set off into the wilds.


	12. Chapter 11: Sakura

Nobody moved, but the woman began to cry and whimper incoherently.

"We don't have much money," the old man said, his voice quivering as he eyed each of us with anxiety. His arm wrapped around the woman's shoulders.

I looked from Itachi Uchiha's face to the butter knife angled at us. The look on his face did not match the same intense gaze that was on his wanted poster, but it was still obviously him.

His black hair was wild and stuck up in random places. And those eyes, those charcoal eyes were something I could lose myself in. I wasn't in a kitchen, I was drowning in a sea of night skies and stars.

He stopped looking at everyone else in the room and finally settled his gaze on me. He seemed confused as he took me in, as if he couldn't quite place me.

"We came for him," Kiba seethed and lifted his bow, aiming his arrow right at the man who murdered his family.

I yanked hard on his shirt where I still had a hold of him, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He let the arrow loose and it embedded itself into the ceiling just above Itachi Uchiha's head.

"FUCK!" Kiba roared and kicked and punched at me to try and get away.

I almost let him go since he was being such a hassle, but luckily Naruto came in and placed a hand on the top of Kiba's head. Instantly, Kiba fell to the floor with a loud thud and didn't budge.

"Simple sleeping spell," Naruto chimed, his eyes on the three who Hinata was still cornering. "That's interesting."

"What?" I asked. In all honesty, I guess it was pretty interesting. I was shocked that none of us were dead yet, and why in the world was Itachi Uchiha defending those people with a butter knife?

"He's not as savage as you all made him sound like he'd be." Naruto stepped around Kiba's fallen form and paced forward a few strides to get a closer look. "Are you sure this is who we want?"

"Yes," Hinata finally spoke up, her accented voice a bit shaky. Her shoulders were taut, and she was breathing rapidly.

My eyes searched Itachi Uchiha's form once more. He was still trying to figure me out, but I moved on from his face. He was wearing worn leather boots and baggy work pants. His shirt hung loose on his form even though he had a muscular build, and peeking out through the opening underneath his collar bone was my pendant.

When my eyes connected with its image, my body reacted on its own. I rushed forward so fast, I'm not sure anyone was able to see the movement. The surprised look on Itachi Uchiha's face gave me that assurance that my thinking was accurate.

My hand shot out and grasped onto my pendant. I was about to yank it off of him when his hand came up and encircled my wrist. His fingers held me tight, making me unable to break free.

"Who are you?" he asked, his eyes raking over my face. "I've seen you before."

"Probably when you stole my pendant," I fumed. "Now, give it back." I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like he was experiencing some sort of amnesiatic episode. Not knowing how long luck would be on my side like this, I wanted to get my pendant back as quickly as possible. Preferably before all of his memories and blood thirstiness came rushing back to him.

His fingers held tight on me still, refusing to let me budge. "I...don't remember that." His face contorted in confusion. I could see his brain trying to grasp at anything that would show him that memory, but nothing was coming.

I had to try another approach. "We don't want to hurt anyone. I just want my pendant back. If you give it to me I promise we'll leave."

His head turned to look at the man and woman behind him. I wasn't sure of the relationship they shared, but it must have been an intriguing story. How the ruthless warmonger came to be with two innocent farmers. What in the world happened?

I watched as his gaze shifted off my pendant hanging loosely down his neck. He pushed my hand down and let go with his next movement being him pulling the chain over his head. His fingers clasped the chain tightly, the pendant dangling in the air between us.

I stared at it, the white, marble-shaped crystal lay at the bottom of the triangular prism cage that held it. The hold looked like two pyramids snapped together on the flat sides, fastened at the top point to the silver chain.

My body pulsated from being so close to it, and my fingers gently wrapped themselves around the object I'd been seeking.

His eyes had been watching me in calculation, and released the chain when I finally stared back at him.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I pulled the chain over my head and let the pendant settle in between my collar bones. I felt complete, and yet something was most definitely off.

And it hit me. The power that was normally there was missing. No longer could I feel a sunshine kind of warmth emanating from my pendant. Rather, it was cold and hollow.

Baba Kikyo said we had to go to Luris Bay and Gernotte Forest to restore its power. I hadn't fully believed that the power would be missing, but here was the proof of it.

I looked back at Hinata, who was still gripping her daggers like her life depended on it. At least one of us was aware of the fighting machine just a foot away from me.

Her stance was rigid and her eyes would not leave the form of Itachi Uchiha. No doubt she wanted to kill him just as badly as Kiba did, but her long life as a fae kept her emotions in check. Her expression looked hurt and confused, which mirrored my mind's state perfectly.

I couldn't believe what I was about to say, I felt like I was betraying Hinata and Kiba.

"Come with us," I softly demanded of the handsome, horrible, cruel amnesiac.

He looked down at Kiba, who was still face down on the floor. "I can't."

I leaned over to get back into his line of sight. "We need your help. Baba Kikyo said you are needed in order to restore the power back into my pendant." I put my hand on my hip and kept a hold of my pendant with the other. "I don't know yet in what capacity that means, but we'll figure it out when we come to it."

His shoulders caved in on themselves and he took a slight step back with one of his feet. "I don't know you people, and everything is fine here. We're okay." He looked back unsure at the couple behind him. They only gave him grave looks in return.

"I think it's time you left," the man said, which visibly hurt him to say. "You've been a huge help to us here, but what if this helped you to remember who you are?"

He weighed that thought, and looked back at me. He obviously took the most comfort in talking to me over my other companions. "Who am I?"

My breathing hitched. What should I say? Oh, you know, just the most evil being alive. Kaguya's snarling hound with a major taste for pain and suffering. Nice to meet you.

But instead, another thought crossed my mind. What if he never regained his memories? What if this is who he was now? What if the pendant made him this way, and the reason why its powers were gone was because it had already sealed all or at least most of that dark part of him away. The power was spent and needed to be restored because it actually worked.

Albeit that it was strange for the pendant to act on its own accord, I didn't even think that was possible.

But, maybe it was.

"Why don't you find out?" I asked quietly. This could be his time to restructure himself, to make up for all the wrong he had done. A fresh start.

Although Kiba and Hinata would most likely not agree with that, I couldn't condemn him in his current state. To me, right then, he was an innocent. Thanks to the pendant, he had a new life to live.

I reached out to Hinata and pulled her in the direction of the door, my feet carrying me away slowly. Naruto picked Kiba off from the floor and slung him over his shoulder to follow us out.

I felt bad when we walked over the broken down door, but still walked outside without looking back.

We got to about fifty or so feet from the house before I finally decided to turn around. Through the open doorway, I saw the three of them still standing where we left them, shell-shocked. The older man moved first and took the butter knife out of Itachi Uchiha's hand.

The next few moments seemed surreal as I watched him move out of sight only to reappear a few minutes later in a black cloak and a satchel that hung across his chest underneath the long garment.

He stood in the doorway and looked back at the elderly couple to whisper a few words of goodbye before he strided to us.


	13. Chapter 12: Sasuke

As he was pulling himself up from out of the short river he crossed, another vision popped in front of Sasuke's eyes.

His own brother stood before him holding up a butter knife in an attempt to protect an elderly couple behind him.

It was not fear that gripped the woman who stared at his brother. No, it felt more like confusion and pity. But then the feeling vanished as she struggled to keep a hold on a male in her arms.

Sasuke watched as another companion of the woman's put a sleeping spell upon him, and then her attention turned back to his brother.

He was staring straight at the woman, looking over her with dark curiosity.

It was just after his brother claimed to have seen the woman before that he was rushed back to his current location.

He stood on a pale beige rock, his body soaked from having just swum in the river behind him. The rush of the water filled his ears and the wind carried to him the sound of small birds warbling in the nearby tree branches.

Thick, ancient trees rolled out on the grass before him. He blinked a few times to fully understand that he was here and not in that old couple's house, not staring into the face of his parents' murderer.

His breathing began to quicken and he could not help but to fall forward onto his knees, his hands clutching the swaying grass while his fingers dug deep into the dirt. A sob bubbled up from his throat, wet and loud and unabashed. It was the first time he had allowed himself to really feel anything about his mother and father dying, about his brother killing them in their own home.

His vision blurred from the tears building up and then trailing down his face. He wept and punched the ground over and over and over, each hit convulsed with more sobs, more intakes of shuddering breaths.

A rumble ricocheted off the mountain side to his left. Sasuke looked to the sky, noting the clouds turn from a deep purple to black in just a few seconds. Bursts of light highlighted the contours of the raging clouds as they rolled across the lands towards him. Tiny droplets hit the back of his hands and atop his cheeks, intermingling with the salty tears already making his face wet.

He made a swipe at his face with his sleeve as the rumbling thunder continued overhead, the rain coming down in a thick sheet just a few moments later.

Sasuke began running through the rain, stopping under an extensive tree whose branches reached beyond its body wide enough to create the most coverage in the surrounding area. He huddled against the tree's base, a large, flat boulder settled so close by he only had to reach out his hand to touch it.

Once he was sitting still, with nothing else to do but turn to his thoughts, he thought more on his latest vision. Knowing that the woman he'd been seeing snippets of her life was within vicinity of his brother physically pained him, made him ill. How was he going to protect her when he had no idea where she was, no idea where his brother was?

She was in great danger as long as she remained with his brother.

For the first time ever, he tried to force a vision to take him over. But, it was not working, his own vision continued to be filled with the sights of the small forest around him.

He cursed the rain for making him stop, but he needed to rest, so perhaps it was a sign from the world to sleep now because it'd be a while before he'd be able to do so again.


	14. Chapter 13: Sakura

"Well, welcome to our strange, little group, Itachi," Naruto smiled and patted him on the back.

Itachi gave an awkward half-smile in return. "Thanks," he said slowly. Everything about him was uncertain. He spoke as if his sentences were all questions, and his movements were a bit clumsy, too.

We would be on our way to Luris Bay after tonight. Naruto took up the lead after welcoming Itachi and we were making our way through the city of Dewport, on the lookout for an inn we would stay in for the night. Kiba was still flung over Naruto's shoulder, and Hinata was walking a few paces at our rear.

I gave her a questioning look. For the past few days she's been quiet. I hadn't known her for very long, but something about her felt off. It all had to do with Itachi, but I had no choice. There was some reason he needed to be with us. If Baba Kikyo was able to find my pendant's location, then I'm sure she was correct in saying we'd need Itachi to restore its power.

Walking next to Itachi felt strange. He towered over me, though his presence was somewhat relaxing with how reserved he was acting. I kind of felt bad for him. It was probably highly uncomfortable to set out with a bunch of strangers, with at least one of them having already tried to kill him.

"I think things will get better," I found myself telling him. "You'll be able to help us, do some real good."

He tilted his head in my direction and studied me carefully. It was the same expression he wore when he was trying to remember me, to grasp that familiar tendril that was running loose in the back of his mind.

"I'm sorry for taking your pendant," he offered in response. "There was a part of me that knew it didn't belong to me, but I had no idea where it came from." He faced forward once again. "I had no idea where I came from."

"Well," Naruto butted in. "I know where you're going." He had stopped in front of a quaint, little building. "The Meala Inn."

Everything about this place made me happy, and when we walked inside that feeling only increased. There was a fire roaring on the right side of the room, a couple of cushioned chairs set out in front of it. A couple of couches were on the left of us, and just in front was a young human woman with dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. She had a smile on her face as she said, "Welcome!"

Naruto walked up to her and grabbed both of her hands in his own. "My sweet lady, we require two rooms for the night."

The woman blushed profusely and nodded. She said the cost, and I completely forgot how flat out broke I was. Thank the goddess Naruto had money and was able to lay out all the pieces necessary for the rooms and a meal for each of us.

My stomach grumbled when the lady told us we would be having roasted chicken with carrots and green beans. That was going to taste so much better than all the fish we've had to eat while traversing the forest trails.

"Your rooms are just up the stairs and to the left. There are numbers on the doors," the lady instructed as she handed over room keys to Naruto. He gave her a bow and told her how he wished her all the happiness in the world.

Hinata had her arms crossed over her chest throughout the whole ordeal. Naruto took one look at her and yelped. Rather than address it, he meandered up the stairs and found our rooms.

"Who gets which ones?" I asked.

"Kiba can't stay in the same room as Itachi," Hinata reasoned. "And neither can I. I will stay with him in one of the rooms."

Itachi looked down at the floor at her admittance, shame written all over his body language. And the worst part was, he didn't even know what he should be ashamed about.

"The three of us can take this one then," I said and pointed to the one I was nearest.

"Could I..." Itachi quietly spoke. "Could I have a moment with you alone?" He looked directly at me as he asked.

It wasn't like I was nervous to be alone with him, the pendant had sucked away his darkness. Well, okay, I was just a tiny bit nervous, but I would still be able to handle the part of me that wanted to keep my distance...

Maybe I'd just stand on the opposite side of the room.

Naruto looked at me pointedly, awaiting my response. I gave him a nod and he handed me the key. Turning my attention back to Itachi, I said, "Yes."

Naruto opened the door next to us and carried Kiba inside. Hinata stood there looking back and forth between me and Itachi.

"I'll be okay," I reassured her. "Just a wall away really."

That gave her the comfort she needed to walk in and shut the room to her door. I unlocked the door in front of me and walked inside.

The room was a bit on the small side, but it was still able to hold two beds and a bathing room. I walked over to the far side of the room and dumped my bag onto the bed. Stretching my arms out, I plopped down on the fluffy wonderland.

"A bed!" I exclaimed in pure bliss. "I haven't slept on a bed in the goddess knows how long." I took a pillow in my arms and snuggled into it.

Itachi shut the door and the click made me remember what was about to happen, so I sat up, but I still held the pillow close against my chest.

"You wanted a word?" I asked.

He stood awkwardly at the door, his solid stature would be intimidating if it wasn't accompanied by the uncomfortable look plastered all over his face.

"I want you to tell me who I am," he said stoically. "That guy...Naruto...called me Itachi. Is that my name?"

My mouth set into a frown. "You forgot your name, too?"

He nodded, remaining standing near the door as if he was afraid to get closer. Maybe he felt just as weird as I did about being enclosed in such a small space with just the two of us. I motioned for him to sit down on the other bed in front of me.

He flinched, surprised by what I was asking, but then he moved all the same. He sat at the very bottom of the bed opposite me, he kept his cloak pulled tight around him like a security blanket of sorts.

His eyes bore into mine, and the fact that he didn't even know his name bothered me. I wondered what it must have been like to be floating in the world without a single memory as to who you were. What kind of existence would that be?

"Your name is Itachi Uchiha," I gave him the information. "And quite honestly, I don't know much else about you." I mean, it wasn't a complete lie. I had no idea about any of his personal life, and I felt bad if I were to just sit there and tell him the awful things that I knew.

He cast his eyes downward, and his eyebrows knit closely together in obvious frustration. "There must be something you know. There was that guy who wanted to kill me. Why is that? Did I do something to him?"

I sucked in a breath. Why me? How was this falling on me?

"I don't know what to say," I answered honestly.

He stood up so quickly that I almost fell backwards in shock. He didn't move any closer, but I guessed he just felt the urge to move. "The truth," he begged. "Tell me the truth. Do you know how hard it is to not know a single thing about myself? How confusing it was to have a group just burst into Jack and Elaine's house because they want you dead? And then, I stupidly join them in some kind of quest. Who does that? What idiot goes willingly with the people who wanted to kill him?" He ran a hand over the back of his head in agitation. "Why am I doing this?"

I gripped the pillow tighter in my hands and ducked my chin into it. It was then that I grew fearful of him leaving, of him not getting the answers he was searching for and I still needed him to help me.

If answers and the truth were what he was looking for, then I would give him both. Well, maybe half so it wouldn't overwhelm him.

"Uhm, yeah." Great start, Sakura. "You were the commander of an army."

He looked at me in shock, and then looked down at his hands. He opened and closed them in an effort to see something, as if what I told him would jog any memory of it.

"Really?" he asked.

I nodded. It was odd to think about, so I got where he was coming from. With how he held himself and whatnot, it was hard to see him commanding an entire army.

"Where am I from?" He began pacing back and forth between the two beds. "Whose army was it?"

"Well, I don't know where you're from exactly...and it was for some lady who I've never met before." And I never wanted to, but would have to someday to put a stop to this war going on.

His head tilted as he soaked in this new bit of information. "What was her name?" His mouth set into a tight line.

Against my better judgement, out of my mouth popped the name, "Kaguya."

His breath caught and he slid down to the floor, his back leaning against the bed he had been sitting on.

Silence befell us for a few minutes. I was waiting for him to be the first to speak up.

"I know that name," he finally said. "Elaine spoke of her once, but it was only in passing as if just talking about her would summon horrible things." His hands were gripping his knees so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "If I'm the one in charge of her army, then that makes me bad, doesn't it?"

I tossed the pillow back in its original spot, and leaned closer to him, my hands clasped together. "Just because you were a bad person before, doesn't mean you have to be now or in the future."

"But, I-"

"Listen to me," I cut him off. "You can have a fresh start." I reached under my shirt and took the pendant out and held it up for emphasis. "See this? This has the power to seal away darkness. Since you stole it from me, and had it in your possession, it took your darkness away. Poof. Gone."

His mouth stayed shut as he eyed the pendant.

"And since it was all used up when sealing your darkness away, it needs to be restored at the two temples. Baba Kikyo instructed that we needed you to help do it. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out what that means, and it'll probably be more clear when we actually make it to the temples. But, I really need your help in defeating Kaguya. She has been wreaking havoc for a number of years now, and the only reason why she hasn't been able to get a hold of places like this is because of the war. There are good people fighting her right now, but this will finally put an end to it all. No more deaths."

I took in a gulp of air from my long speech. Itachi didn't react right away verbally, but he let go of his knees to put his head in his hands. His fingers laced through his hair in anger, grief, frustration, I had no idea because I couldn't see his face.

Feeling compelled, I scooted down to the floor opposite of him. My arms wrapped around my legs, and I kept my eyes trained on him. I had no idea what to do.

Without moving a muscle, he said, "I've killed innocent people."

"Before," I stressed. "You'll never be able to change what you've done, even when you don't remember. But, you can change things for the better going forward."

He slowly brought his head up to look at me. Complete and utter grief swam in his eyes. "Kill me now for what I've done."

Taken aback by his request, my mouth hung open. "I'm not going to kill you."

"Why not? I don't deserve to live."

Even with how serious this conversation was, I had the overwhelming desire to smack him beside his head. I restrained myself though, and said, "Haven't you listened to what I've been saying? I need you to help me. Without you, I'm not sure we can succeed."

He remained silent, and I could still see that his desire to die was still the same.

I couldn't help myself as I kicked my foot out and collided it with his shin.

A yelp of pain escaped his lips and he moved his legs away from mine. "Why'd you do that?"

"Don't be a baby," I admonished. "You're so freaking old, yet you need to grow up! Yes, you've done some horrible things, but you need to atone for them. Don't just leave everyone else here to pick up the pieces. Help us rebuild. Help us make a change."

He turned his head away from me, his gaze cast at the wall that separated us from the others. No doubt, they could hear everything that was being said with their heightened hearing abilities.

"Atone?" he asked without moving his head.

"Atone," I repeated in determination.

We sat there on the floor for I don't know how long. The light from the lamp eventually burned out, and we were swallowed by the darkness. Although, from the sliver of moon out tonight, I was able to see Itachi's outline.

He started to move, turning back in my direction. His hand reached out and lay over mine. I felt like my heart was pounding so loudly that he could probably hear it. But, I didn't move away.

"What if I'm not even worthy of atonement?" he whispered into the dark.

I thought carefully about my next words, as they would be crucial in his decision. "Well, you'll just have to trust me."

His fingers twitched once over mine before he pulled away.

"I think I can do that."


	15. Chapter 14: Sasuke

The stable he came across just a day later was a welcomed sight. There was a small boy running around the front with a dog that had a coat of black and brown and white. A woman sat by a fire near the door, two stools around her and a large pot hanging in the fire. The smell of stewing carrots, tomatoes, beans, and meat wafted to him in the air. The smell made his stomach growl.

Beyond the woman, attached to the side of the building, lay a covered area with a couple of horses and a lone donkey eating hay out of a long barrel.

Sasuke approached, the woman jumping in her seat at the startle of seeing him. "Oh, hello there, where did you come from?" Her voice held a hint of laughter at her own skittishness.

"I'm a refugee," Sasuke spoke, his voice a bit odd after not talking for such a long time. "I haven't got much, but do you think you could spare a bit of your stew?"

She was a matronly woman, her body and face plump and warm. She brought a towel hanging at her side up to wipe her hands in it. She looked him up and down, noting the state of his clothes and the tired expression on his face. "You poor thing, come inside and we'll get you fixed up."

She gestured with her arm to the door of the stable, laying wide open to passersby. Sasuke walked in ahead of the woman into a rounded room, bridles hanging along the left wall and a couple of tables lay to the other half of the room. Four doors lead to other areas that he did not know of, and lamps hung on a large circular fixture in the middle of the low-lying ceiling.

It only took one look at the rest of the people in the place to understand why the woman had taken him in without any questions.

They looked just as weary, most of them had dirt patched onto their faces and clothes, some of them had boots that were so worn there were holes at the bottoms. There was just five of them, two men, two women, and a child, though this one looked much less happy than the one outside.

The lot of them were eating what looked like the stew the woman had over the fire outside.

She sat him down on a chair near the wall, pulling a blanket out from a nearby chest and depositing it over his shoulders. He took hold of it and drew it closer to him, relishing in its comfort. He watched the woman walk back outside and then return to him with a bowl in her hands, the contents steaming.

It was on his third bite that he realized how stupid he was for digging into the food without any scrutiny. He pushed the food bits around with his spoon, eyeing them carefully, looking for anything to be out of place. Then he brought his nose down over the bowl, smelling it for any hint of poison.

He saw nothing odd, smelled nothing odd. He looked to the others who were happily eating their shares, and not one of them were suffering any effects from the food aside from a slight flush to their faces from the heat of it.

His stomach gave an unhappy growl when he'd stopped, and he only continued when he had ruled out possible poisons the best he could.

"Sharon won't be killin' you boy," one of the men who had been eyeing him muttered. "But if you reckon it's poison, I'll take it off your hands."

Sasuke brought the bowl closer to him, which made the man laugh and scoot his chair next to him.

"Name's Stan," he offered, extending his hand for a shake. Sasuke took it, but hesitated before giving him a fake name.

"Nice sword you got there," he noticed. "Fixin' to fight?"

Sasuke looked at him curiously. "I'm not going to fight you, if that's what you're asking." Stan had to be about mid sixties.

He let out a wheezy laugh. "I ain't mad, I wouldn't go fightin' a guy like you! Like I'd be pokin' a bear just to make it angry."

Sasuke let Stan laugh, a dreamy look suddenly came across his face, though.

"Always admired swords ever since I was a boy," he continued talking, bowing his head closer to Sasuke. "Thought I'd be the one to find the Sword of Raylen myself."

Sasuke became more interested in what he was talking about now. "Raylen's Sword? The sword that cuts through evil?"

Stan's eyes lit up. "That's the one, yeah!" He began stroking his scraggly beard longingly. "Raylen, a woman after me own heart that one."

"Isn't..." Sasuke started, unsure of how to phrase his thought. "Raylen is a goddess, the goddess of the sun. You make her sound like a normal person."

"Well, every goddess has to start somewhere, ain't she?" He took a spoonful of stew and chewed it lazily in his mouth. "And that sword is real, mark me."

Sasuke had grown up listening to tales of Raylen, Sun Goddess, and Kaius, the Moon God. But they had been tall tales told to him by his mother as night befell the land.

"But my dream wasn't s'posed to happen," he sighed. "The thing's in Summer. Ain't no way I'm going there. Not back then and not now."

At the sound of his home nation, Sasuke froze unintentionally, his spoon suspended for a second halfway to his mouth before he resumed the motion. Stan did not seem to notice this slight in Sasuke's behavior as he just continued on.

"Horrible place to host such a blade."

The others wanted more stew now, and the woman, Sharon, came around with her pot to give more of the food away. Sasuke shook his head when she held up the soup ladle to him.

He felt rather sheepish asking, "Do you have a bath?" He wanted desperately to end his conversation with Stan, so this would be the perfect way to get out before Stan brought up Summer again.

She only smiled at him. "We don't have a public bath here, but there is a hot spring out back, just a few paces past the thick set of trees."

He nodded. "Thank you very much, you are too kind."

She gave him a sad look. "We do our part. My son...my son...he went to fight in the war..." She was unable to get the rest out, and Sasuke did not want to push her on the subject. Her eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head to try and hide them.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," he said warmly. "You are a light that this world needs now more than ever."

Her shoulders began to shake, so he gave them a squeeze and walked out of the room. He did not want to continue making her upset as she thought about her son in the war. He wasn't sure if he was dead or if the woman was so fraught with grief that he even had to go fight, but he made sure to remember this place so that one day he could come back and repay her for her kindness.


	16. Chapter 15: Sakura

The night went by slowly as I lay under the covers facing Itachi's bed. Even though Naruto came back shortly after our talk and said that he'd take the first watch, I could not get my brain to shut off.

I took some comfort in having my pendant back. My hand was wrapped around it protectively. I wondered how Itachi even got into the palace to begin with, the place was covered from top to bottom with guards.

The thought made me shiver. He must've truly been a capable warrior with all of his memories. I bet that his body remembers all that he's capable of, it would just take some practice to get that muscle memory working again. And that would help us out tremendously.

"Naruto," I whispered into the night.

"Hm?" he replied from his chair in the corner of the room.

"I want you to train me to fight starting tomorrow," I put out there. I never wanted to be a burden for our group, and I wanted to have Itachi join us to see what he was actually capable of. It would be a win-win.

"You know that my combat training is not as good as my magical prowess," he pointed out. "But, I will do my best for the lovely lady."

"Itachi, too," I said and watched his bed closely. There was no movement, but I knew that he heard me. I don't think he was going to get an ounce of sleep tonight either.

After a few beats, he rolled over to face me. The moon cast slanted light from the window across his face. He blinked a few times at the sudden light, but he managed a nod.

The remainder of the night went by without any more disruptions. I even managed to get what felt like a ten minute nap before Naruto woke me up to trade places with him.

As I took up a spot on the chair by the window, I let out a sigh. Itachi was still facing me and I could see his eyes on me, his shoulders tense as if he was ready to fight for his life at a moment's notice.

I'm not sure if he saw it, but I sent him an uncertain smile. There was this feeling of pity I had whenever I looked at him. He was just scared, and I didn't want to give him anymore reason to be.

When dawn broke out over the horizon, I jolted in surprise at an outcry from the room next door. It sounded like Kiba had finally woken up, and no doubt he was furious.

His outburst woke Naruto and Itachi, as both of them sat up and looked at me automatically to see if it was me who made the noise. I shook my head and curled up on the chair even more by pulling my legs to my chest. My fingers rapt against the tops of my boots in a steady rhythm as I listened to Hinata try to talk him down.

He was not having any of it for a while, and from the sound of things she had to restrain him to keep him in the room.

Itachi stared straight at the wall, his eyes concentrating on it as if he could see past it to the scene we were all listening to. Stupidly, I actually wondered if he had such a power.

"I should talk to him," Itachi whispered. He started to pull the blankets off of him, but Naruto held his arm up to stop him.

"Give her some time with him." His confidence in Hinata radiated off of him in waves. For all the flirting and joking around he did with all the females we met, it was always surprising to see his serious side.

So, we sat. We sat and pretended not to listen to everything that was being said between our other two companions. Kiba was threatening to do so many unspeakable acts, and all that would assuage him would be to have Itachi's head on the pointy end of a spike.

I shut down my hearing at that point, I couldn't listen to it anymore.

Silence surrounded me, and I could only wait for a sign from the others that something had happened. That signal actually came from Hinata herself when she entered the room. I opened my hearing up again to listen to her.

"He left," she said.

"Just...left?" My head cocked to the side and my eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Did he say anything?" I didn't think he would actually leave just like that.

She shut the door behind her and leaned back against it. Her arms crossed over her chest as she said, "He said he'd get his revenge without us."

I bit my bottom lip in thought. Did that mean he'd try to hunt us down and kill Itachi anyway at some point? He had to know that it wasn't going to work against four faes with all of our heightened abilities. He stood no chance, and there was no way I was going to let him kill Itachi.

"Well..." I awkwardly began but couldn't find the words I wanted to say.

"We can't force him to stay," Naruto eventually finished for me when the silence became unbearable.

"That's what I thought too." Hinata blew a loose strand of her dark hair out of her face. "As much as I'll miss him, we have a job to do. And having a human around would be dangerous."

Agreed. I didn't think our full attention would be on the task at hand if we had to constantly be worrying about protecting Kiba. I felt bad for Hinata because he had been her friend the longest, but we needed to restore my pendant's power as soon as possible. With Kiba no longer slowing us down, it actually worked out much better.

I couldn't help but to feel bad in thinking that way. Did that make me somewhat like Kaguya? To think that a human would only get in our way rather than be able to help us out?

Itachi brought me out of my thinking when he said, "No, that doesn't make you bad for thinking that."

I looked at him questioningly, his face had been focused on his hands as soon as Hinata walked through the door, and his gaze was still there.

"What?" I asked. I hadn't said anything aloud, and yet his answer lined up perfectly with what I'd been thinking.

He looked up. "You asked if thinking that Kiba would only slow us down made you like Kaguya." A sigh escaped him. "I said no."

The room went silent. Naruto and Hinata both looked at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

"I didn't say any of that out loud." My body reacted on instinct and I made my way over to his bed. I sat down in front of him cross legged and stared into his eyes. "What am I thinking now?"

I pictured eating a wonderful plate of eggs and bacon for breakfast, which I sincerely hoped that the innkeeper could provide.

His expression was that of shock. "You're making me hungry," he admitted, a bit sheepishly at that.

Oh no.

"You can read my mind." My whole body stiffened, and I reigned my thoughts in so fast it gave me a headache. "How is that possible?"

He looked just as confused as I felt. "Do you think it had something to do with the pendant?"

My fingers coiled around said object. "Maybe..." I mean, there had been nothing else that could have made it possible for him to read my mind. Perhaps my magic that sealed his darkness away stayed in him, making it possible for him to read my mind.

"That's a good explanation," Itachi said, but then shut his mouth into a tight line.

I couldn't help but glare at him. "You are to stay out of my head."

He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in a cute and innocent way. "I'll try."

Naruto shifted in his bed so that he was sitting facing the two of us, both of his feet planted firmly on the ground. "Fascinating. Sakura, can you read Itachi's mind?"

I stared at him hard, trying to glean any thought he might have cross his mind. But, I came up empty handed. "No, I can't." That wasn't fair, he could read my mind yet I couldn't read his.

"I wonder why he was just able to do it today?" Hinata asked, remaining by her place by the doorway. Her expression was slightly amused.

"Sakura thought it has to do with the pendant and her powers," Itachi explained what I came up with in my head just minutes before. "Maybe it just took us being in close proximity to one another for this to come about, to spark it into action?"

"And yesterday was a bit hectic, so you may not have noticed you had this ability," Naruto reasoned further.

"I can't believe this," I couldn't help but whine.

"Maybe it'll go away at some point?" Hinata provided.

"I can only hope," I muttered. Otherwise, I had a captive audience to every one of my thoughts if he wanted to sit in and listen. Or maybe he had no control over it, and he wouldn't be able to turn it off ever.

Fantastic.

"You better try your hardest to control it," I ordered him.

"I'll do my best."

If he really had no control over it, then I had to be prepared to be embarrassed more often than I was used to.

"Well, I'm going to go down to see about breakfast," I said and quickly exited the room. It was probably just me being naive, but maybe if I was far away from Itachi, he wouldn't be able to read my thoughts. Maybe it only worked if we were like ten feet away from each other.

"No!" I heard him yell to me when I made it all the way down the stairs.

Well, damn.


	17. Chapter 16: Sasuke

Two days had come and gone since the stable, the woman had given him a bed to stay for the night, but after that he had continued on with his journey.

As he turned the corner down the path, he ran into a solid wall of stone with no way around it. His head tilted back, looking up towards the top of the fixture and then travelling back to the bottom, trying to find the best route to climb.

He gave a sigh and then reached his arm up to grab hold of the closest rock jutting out. By the time he had reached the top, his arms were numb, the muscles wanting to give out long ago, but because of willing his arms to keep pulling up, he had been able to complete the climb.

He stood there panting as he surveyed the land. More mountainous ledges appeared to his right, but flatlands were to his left. Tall grasses mixed with grey stone and rich dirt under a thick patch of trees before him, spanning the length of space to the left, looking to wrap around to the other side of the mountain.

Relics of stone buildings lay in the dirt with grass growing over the creases of the bricks, long forgotten and worn with the passage of time. He sat down on one of them, resting his hands against the stone structure and felt the warmth of the sun's continuous rays upon it.

He waited a few moments while catching his breath, forcing himself to breath slowly in through his nose and out through his mouth, his eyes closing as he did so. The fresh scent of grass that he had become accustomed to on his journey came to him, but there was something else on the wind that should not be mixed with the scent of grass and trees and dirt. A tinge of smoke filled his nostrils, and he knew there was a fire burning somewhere nearby.

His eyes opened, looking to the east where the wind was blowing in. Nothing to be seen, so it was no doubt settled deep into the trees before him. He got to his feet and rushed forward.

Sasuke did not have to travel far before he found the source of the smoky scent. He knelt behind a tree and surveyed the area before him. A fairly large pond lay between him and a group of three goblins sitting next to a fire, with fish skewered on sticks that were shoved into the ground around the flames.

The goblins were short, perhaps half his height, and they wore dingy armor and clothing. Their heads were bald and their ears were long and downturned from the base to the tip. Sharp teeth gleaned from their open mouths as they grunted and spoke to one another.

His hand went to his sword's hilt as he began to slowly creep along the pond. He had seen goblins many times over back in Summer. Kaguya often used them to carry out her work, the simple-minded creatures always happy to please their master.

He had never liked them, though he was certainly happy to see them now. He needed some sort of outlet for his anger and they were the perfect target. One of them even had a bow with a quiver of arrows that he would love to get his hands on.

He came to his last tree that was shielding him from the goblins' sight, a wide one half in the water with the trunk slashed down the middle as if it had been struck by Summer. Just twenty or so paces separated him from them now, so he grabbed a rock laying next to his boot and rolled it around in his hand.

The rock was heavy and jagged, as if it had actually been a piece of an old building just like the one he sat on before. He tossed it as far as he could into the water beyond the goblins. A loud _thunk_ sounded as it hit the water's surface and plunged below.

The goblins all looked in its direction, a couple of them even got to their feet at the sound. One pushed the other into going and looking at what could have much such a loud noise.

He moved then, making his steps swift and silent as he jolted towards the goblins. He unleashed his sword on the first one, who had just started turning back towards him. He severed the goblin's head from its body with a single strike. He jumped forward, taking care of the second one in the same manner.

An arrow flew through the air and Sasuke lunged to the right to avoid it, the arrow just grazing his ear. It stung a bit but he rushed forward as the goblin was frantically trying to knock another arrow to aim at him.

Too slow. The goblin had not succeeded in time, and Sasuke made fast work of plunging his sword through the goblins chest.

The creature looked down at the sword with wide eyes, his head jerking once before his body slouched to the ground. Sasuke took the sword from its body and plunged the metal into the pond to try and rid it of the dark goblin blood. He took it out, wiped it along the grass on both sides and then put it back in the sheathe.

The goblins carried various items such as clubs and dingy shields, which were too small for him, so he did not bother taking them. Though what he did snatch was a satchel that he slung across his back that was filled with various stones that shone when he examined them in the sunlight. Maybe they would fetch a good price in the next market he would happen by. The bow and arrow looked to be of fine craftsmanship, something that was not goblin made, so they had obviously taken it from someone else.

He pulled the bow over his head and looped the quiver onto his belt just behind his back, making the arrows easily accessible.

As he journeyed further into the forest, the more goblins he found. Some were in groups and some were alone. He cut through them one after another and took with him their valuables.

There must have been at least twenty goblins that he had taken out in the forest when he came across something else.

An arrow shot out from the trees just before his head. He stared at the arrow for a second before yanking it from the bark and knocking it in his own bow. He crouched and aimed from where the arrow had come, looking around rapidly for the attacker.

But, rather than a goblin charging at him there was a group of five men. Their uniforms were intricate: Brown boots, black pants, and a green tunic, gold stitching inlaid in the fabrics. A series of belts lay across their waists and chests while they also had bracers on their left arms. A leather chest cover was attached at their shoulders and lay over their green tunics.

"Who are you?" The one in the middle was the one to address Sasuke, and it was a face he instantly recognized from being in his visions a handful of times. His blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and his green eyes glared at Sasuke, the look said that he'd have no problem ordering his death with a snap of his fingers. "State your business."

It was odd seeing this man with his own eyes rather than from another's perspective. Sasuke could recall the feelings of friendship and safety that emanated throughout the woman's thoughts whenever she was with him, but now those feelings were not present. Sasuke only looked at this man and saw an immediate threat on his life.

"Have your men lower their weapons," Sasuke ordered, maintaining the hold on his bow, aiming it directly at the man in the middle. "I just wish to speak."

They did not move.

"That's an interesting wish for someone who is still pointing an arrow my way," the man retorted, a laugh almost trailing his words.

Against his every instinct, he began to lower his bow, loosen the string he had pulled back so tightly.

A flash of surprise shone across the leader's face, clearly not expecting him to surrender so quickly, so easily. The guard's at his side did not relax, however.

"Speak," the leader ordered.

Sasuke wasted no time. "I'm looking for someone. A woman. A woman who comes from the Belmenor Palace."

A snarl ripped from the leader's throat. "What do you know about the whereabouts of Princess Sakura?"

His whole body froze at the name. For all his visions that he was allowed to see of her life, he had never been able to glean her name from them. And even though he had never heard it before, he felt that it was impossible that she could have had any other name.

"Sakura," he whispered, the name rolling off his tongue like he had finally been able to fill in a missing piece of him, fill in some vital part of him that he had not even realized had been missing. If he was feeling this way after only hearing her name, he could not imagine the sort of emotion that would roll through him when he was finally able to lay his own eyes upon her.

The guards still aiming their arrows at him cast the leader a disbelieving glance, perhaps there had even been a hint of disapproval there as well at mentioning the princess by name to a complete stranger.

Sasuke was able to find himself, ground himself once more, and rose his eyebrows. "I am just looking for her. Do you know where she is?" He knew better than to explain how he had seen visions of her life play out in his mind's eye for as long as he could remember. This man before him would not take that information well, and he needed him to give more information on her.

Another low snarl from the leader, and then he even started to unsheathe his sword. "You will tell me what you know of my princess. Where is she?"

Sasuke leveled a look at him. If this man wanted to fight him, then it would be a real set back. He was a decent fighter, but he did not like the odds of five against one. They most likely knew this forest much better than he did, so they would have the upper hand in that area as well.

He could either run for it or allow himself to be taken prisoner by the look of things.

He turned around and started to run.


	18. Chapter 17: Sakura

We moved quickly during the day, and we made sure to keep off the main roads. Itachi was still a face that some might recognize if they've seen his wanted poster, so we couldn't take that chance.

And when night fell after the first day of our travels, I could barely contain my excitement.

"What's first?" I asked as Naruto held out his hands and a glowing ball hovered over them.

He threw the ball into the air and it dispersed to create a dome around us. He put his hands on his hips and nodded. "This should keep people from seeing and hearing us. Completely shielded."

I shook in anticipation and threw my hood back from my face. The crisp dusk air felt good as it blew through my hair and tickled the skin on the back of my neck.

"All right little lady, you've had enough sleep. Get on out here and stretch your wings." Naruto carefully put his bag down and opened the top flap to reveal a very cozy looking Nix. She cracked her eyes open a smidge before shutting them and burying herself further into the bag.

Naruto slowly pushed the bag over, forcing her to leave it. She was none too happy about it because she tried to crawl back inside. He swiftly picked the bag up so she could do no such thing.

"Go play," he ordered, which made me laugh. He was trying to be tough, but with a command like that it wasn't possible.

Itachi inched closer to Nix, and he pulled back his hood. "You had a dragon in your bag this whole time?"

"Oh yeah, how come you kept her in there for so long? That can't be good for her," I added.

Naruto booped Nix on the head with two fingers, causing her to shake her head and blow steam from her nostrils. She skittered back and stretched her wings out to become airborne.

"Aevita dragons require long periods of sleep to maintain levels of functionality," he explained. "The first time she slept for three days straight had me traumatized until I learned more about them."

"She's beautiful," Itachi complimented, his face shone with a joy that I hadn't yet seen on him.

"Right," I said with a smile. "While Nix burns off some energy, how are we going to spend our time?"

Naruto gave a slight grin, which gave me an uneasy feeling. "I want the two of you to spar each other." He pointed between Itachi and me. "I think that'll be a good way to establish a basis for what you're capable of."

I turned to look at Itachi, who in turn was looking back at me. Honestly, my thoughts were betraying me as I pictured us fighting, getting up close and personal. I could feel myself getting hot, and I tried to stop my thinking in order for him not to read my mind. From the smirk he was giving me it was too late.

"Damnit!" I unlatched my cloak and threw it off of me to the edge of the clearing we were standing in. "Stay out!" I took a running start and practically threw myself at him, my fist almost colliding with his stomach.

He caught my fist, encircling it with his fingers. "I can't control it."

I huffed and kicked at him with my right leg, aiming low at his feet. The attack missed because he jumped out of reach, but at least I got him to let go of my hand.

He stood still where he landed, his cloak circling around his frame. It made me angry that he still had it on, as if he wasn't taking this seriously.

His eyebrow raised. "You attacked me right away. When was I supposed to get rid of it?"

I was going to lose it. I was going to go crazy with how he answered my thoughts. Those were my thoughts, no one had a right to listen to them.

I charged him again, throwing a barrage of kicks and punches which he dodged or blocked with ease. We kept going like that for a long time, my breath eventually coming out harder and harder. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck and made my shirt cling to me.

Damn him, why wasn't he attacking back? He wasn't throwing a single punch my way, I was doing all the work.

As if he was waiting for it the whole time, Itachi took the opportunity with my slower attacks to make his move. He dodged my punch but leaned in close to me, his face mere inches from mine. My eyes widened in surprise when he forced me to the ground, straddling my hips to keep me from getting up. Both of his hands clasped my wrists and forced them to the ground.

"Get off!" I grunted while trying to escape his hold.

He smirked down at me, looking purely predatory. "I win."

Looks like I was right about his muscle memory. It was the strangest thing, he had been so humble before but when our spar started he was a cocky piece of shit. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but then he seemed to realize what he was doing and a look of shock spread across his own features.

He let me go quickly and got up, standing a few feet away from me. I blinked a few times before taking his outstretched hand so he could pull me up.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Livid. I was absolutely livid.

I turned to Naruto. "There! See where we are? I'm a useless glob that couldn't even land a single hit on him throughout that whole thing!" I fumed and crossed my arms over my chest. "And he pulls his punches!"

Itachi looked taken aback. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Oh," I snapped. "That makes me feel so much better."

Naruto gave out a short chuckle. "It's all fine. You know, Sakura, you're not a bad fighter. Just take into fact that Itachi is older and has more battle experience than you. Even when he can't remember using those skills, he's able to follow his instincts."

Before, I was excited by the aspect of his muscles remembering how to fight. But, now when I was faced with it, I wanted him to be on my level instead.

"Did you have any training before?" Naruto asked me.

I took my hair out of the ribbon I had it tied in, and began to retie it as it had come loose from the spar. "Yes, I had some at the palace."

Even though I wasn't to leave the palace, Father wasn't stupid. He wanted me to be able to defend myself if there ever came a time when I would need to be able to do so. However, I was pretty sure that the guards in charge of my training didn't push me as hard as they could have. And to be honest, I hadn't been the best pupil. Cursing myself for fooling around more than being serious, I could especially see why there was such a huge gap in skill levels between Itachi and me.

I knew that I had to blame myself for not being more serious when I was younger, but I couldn't manage to cool down.

"I'm going to bathe," I seethed and stormed off into the forest after grabbing my bag. I could hear a nearby stream, so I walked in its direction. Nobody followed me, and I was thankful for that.

The stream was only about a quarter mile away, and it even emptied out into a shallow pond that nestled into the side of a cliff.

I peeled the sweaty clothes off my body and brought them into the water with me. I bunched the fabric together and scrubbed them to try and get all the dirt and oils off of them. When I was finished with that, I hung them up to dry on a nearby branch and returned to the pond. A thought popped into my head at the last time I was near water.

I let out a slight shriek thinking about the Undead Grendels and jumped back onto land. Looking into the water, I concentrated all of my senses on it. I couldn't feel anything off about it, and there was no form of suspicious movement. Regardless, I scrubbed at my skin quickly, quicker than I've ever washed before.

I lay on the soft grass for a while to dry off before putting on a fresh pair of clothes from my bag. I wrung my hair out as best I could and let it fall down my back, soaking through the shirt along my spine.

I gathered my wet clothes and made my way back to the place everyone else was. My time alone calmed me down somewhat. I was still angry, but now I knew that I was just angry with myself more than I was angry at Itachi being able to beat me without even a single blow.

When I got back, Itachi was leaning his back against a tree, his head tilted against the bark with his eyes closed. Naruto was laying on his stomach petting Nix, and Hinata was near him sitting straight and plucking grass from the ground.

"I'm sorry I ran off like that," I mumbled out and bit my lip.

Itachi's head snapped to attention, and his eyes met mine for the briefest of moments before I forced myself to look away. I turned to Naruto just in time to see him wave his hand at me.

"We all need to cool off sometimes." And then he turned serious. "But, from the nature of our little journey here, I'm going to respectfully ask that you not lose your temper so quickly, Your Highness."

He was right. I shouldn't be acting this way at all.

How was I going to rule over the Spring Court when Father was gone someday if I acted like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. How was I supposed to lead these three people into a battle if they weren't able to trust in my mindset.

I had to be better, and it wasn't just for me. I had to be better for everyone.


	19. Chapter 18: Sakura

It took us a little under two weeks to make it to Luris Bay. We traversed through forests and lowlands to make it, and we barely saw a single traveler.

Naruto said he was taking us on the most direct of the least traveled paths. It wasn't like I had anything else to go on as I wasn't a well-traveled individual, so I trusted him. Each and every day we never ran into someone just kept building my faith in him.

It was only on the final day that we hit a village. When I reached the top of a hill, I could see it off in the distance.

"Look at that!" I said and pointed so the others would see.

Itachi stood next to me examining the structures. "Looks small."

Even though we were quite a ways away still, he put his hood back over his head. I knew how badly he must've wanted to take his cloak off as it was scorching hot. I could see sweat had been beading up on his forehead before he shielded it into shadows.

I on the other hand had shed my cloak a few hours back, stuffing it into my bag in glee. The thing was basically cooking me as it was wrapped around my body. No thanks, I preferred not to be a sweltering piece of meat to the fire.

I started to move forward, my hair swayed back and forth in my ponytail as I walked, and I was thankful for the slight breeze it made passing my neck. I let out a content sigh because of it.

But, I didn't make it far as Itachi reached out and grabbed me by the end of my ponytail. He didn't hold it hard, but he gave a tug on it to get my attention.

"What?" I pouted before he let go of me.

"Don't you think we should learn about this place before we stroll right in?" He looked to Naruto then. "It's not a heavily populated area. Is it safe?"

Naruto nodded, Nix bobbing with his moving head. She let out a yawn and started nibbling on random ends of Naruto's hair. "I've been here a couple times. It's called Lurita, and we have to go through it to get to the bay. Nice people, they live quiet lives."

"See?" I said to Itachi. "We'll be fine." Why was he being such a baby?

He leveled me with the look. The look that he'd been giving me a lot lately. The look that said he couldn't believe what came out of my mouth, or my head most of the time.

"You need to be more cautious," he reprimanded. "Prepare for the worst, don't believe in the best outcome."

"I believed in you, didn't I?" I quipped.

"That's not the point."

"Okay, you two," Hinata said and stepped in between us. "Enough. Please can we go a day without one of your bickering fits?"

We stood there quietly for all of a couple seconds. I couldn't help myself as I stuck my tongue out at Itachi and began making my way to the little village. I knew he hated when I did that. Every time I stuck my tongue out at him he said I looked like a child, but I didn't care. I knew it got on his nerves, and I enjoyed poking fun at him. It was one of the only forms of entertainment I had while we traveled.

Naruto snickered from behind me. At least he appreciated my sense of humor. Then again, he could just be amused by mine and Itachi's back and forth.

When we made it to the village, a woman at the nearest house we were standing by looked up from her basket weaving. When she looked up at us, I saw her to be a fairly young human, perhaps in her twenties. She had colorful paint markings on her face and neck, and her dress was made for the hot climate as it was loose and thin, perfect for breathable clothing in this stifling weather.

And then the biggest smile broke out across her face when she saw us. Or rather, Naruto.

She dropped her basket to the ground and ran over to him. She tugged on his arm and began speaking rapidly in a language I didn't recognize. Naruto responded to her easily to my surprise.

"What language is that?" I asked when there was a lull in their foreign conversation. It sounded beautiful.

"It's ancient Velurian," he explained for us in our tongue. "Most of the continent speaks the same language, but there are some who still hold to the old ways."

Itachi suddenly started speaking to them in the same language. He kept his face downcast as to hide more behind his hood so the girl couldn't see his face. She watched him warily, but responded to him all the same.

My mouth hung open in shock. "How can you speak it?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It wasn't something I knew before, but when they started talking, it just came to me."

I wondered if we were going to get a lot of that. Something that Itachi would know how to do, but not remember how he knew it. It must be a very confusing place, that mind of his.

"You have no idea," he answered my unspoken statement.

I swatted at his arm which he dodged easily, and then he flashed me a playful smirk. I grumbled and crossed my arms across my chest and looked away from him. I still thought it was completely unfair for him to be able to read my mind, but I wasn't able to do the same.

"Believe me, nothing very interesting ever comes across to me," Itachi poked fun at me again.

This was his favorite game, riling me up. And I was getting better at not letting it affect me as much, but sometimes I couldn't help it.

"You're such a...such a..."

He waited as I flapped my lips like a fish on dry land. When nothing came to mind, I groaned and turned away from him.

"Let's get to Luris Bay," I ordered, pointedly looking at Naruto to show the way.

He couldn't stop the roll of his eyes, but he detangled himself from the girl nonetheless. "Right. Let's be off then."

The girl waited patiently as he spoke to her in her language for a bit. I guessed he was telling her we had to start walking, to which she looked disappointed. She leaned over and whispered something into his ear, which made him give her a wink and a devilish smile.

Maybe this kind of thing would happen everywhere we went. How many ladies had Naruto played this game with? Did he know every language just for the reason of talking to more and more of them?

Itachi gave a soft chuckle, but otherwise didn't respond any other way.

We followed Naruto through the rough street of the village. Cobblestones were laced here and there among the dirt as if a brick road had once been there but eroded over many years. The huts lining the streets were made of light brown bamboo shoots and dried out palm tree leaves. The breeze would catch the tips of the dead grass, making them sway back and forth above cut out doorways and windows.

People would stop Naruto to talk to him, but then quickly moved about their business. More women ogled him, but these times they did it from afar, not as forthcoming as the first one.

As we hit the tail end of the village, we had to wrap around to the left and then right through a mountain side as the path lead us onward. And just as I turned that final way against the rocky wall, I saw it.

The path opened up to a sandy beach that lay before a gorgeous expanse of water. The waves sparkled in the sunlight, and I could see fish dancing with one another beneath the surface.

The mountains almost encircled the water completely, but there was probably a 50 foot gap that allowed the ocean water to enter.

I inhaled deeply, the smell of salt filling my senses made me smile. I've always wanted to visit a real ocean, and it was finally happening.

I sprinted past everyone else and stopped right at the water's edge. Reaching down, I splashed the water around a bit. I couldn't hold back my joyous laughter. It was incredible, I'd never seen anything like it before. The way that the water past the bay just kept going and going over the horizon made me feel so small, and yet it made me feel important. That I was a piece in this world, same as this magnificent wonder.

Hinata was the one who came to my side first. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes!" I was still bent down with my knees digging into my chest as I watched the little air pockets bubble up from underneath the sand as the water receded back. "I love it."

"That's where we need to go," Naruto spoke up and broke me out of my magical little moment. He was pointing to a cave that lay along the curve of the mountain's side. A stick stood in the sand on either side of the opening, long red and white ribbons danced in the wind at the top of them.

I groaned and stood up, brushing my hands on my pants to dry them. "Why does it have to be a cave?" Our last experience in a cave didn't end so well.

"Don't look at me," Naruto said and held his hands up in a defensive posture. "I'm just the navigator."

I looked at the cave for a few seconds. Well, at least if I got dropped in this water, there wouldn't be Undead Grendels here to tear me apart and eat me or whatever they do to the people they manage to get ahold of.

Well...I hoped there wasn't anything like that in the water at least...

"What's inside?" I asked, my legs still unwilling to move.

Naruto shrugged. "I've never gone inside, and the villagers tend to stay away because they don't understand it."

Well, that wasn't very comforting.

Itachi spoke up. "We need to go in, so stop stalling and let's go." His eyes were locked on me.

The nerve of him, accusing me!

...Of something I was actually doing.

I groaned out my frustration and trudged through the sand, my sight set on the damn cave ahead.

The closer we got to the opening, the denser the air became. My lungs constricted with how much harder they had to work with bringing air into my body. Then there was a moment when everything became so heavy that it became a chore just to keep standing.

I looked around to see if anyone else was feeling the same, but everyone looked normal, they didn't have a problem at all. Itachi was looking at me funny though, probably because he was reading my mind and didn't understand what was happening to me.

"What's going on?" he asked.

I shook my head and pushed on. I had a strong suspicion that it was my pendant. If its powers could be restored here, then it had an obvious connection with the location. It could be sensing something. Maybe this was a warning?

I shoved that thought from my head. Even if it was, we still had to go inside.

The pressure was most intense right outside the cave. I broke out into a sweat from trying to put one foot in front of the other, a trail of it sliding down the side of my face.

I was just about to enter the cave when Itachi said, "I think we should go back. Something's not right with you."

Ignoring him because I didn't want to listen, I kept going. Once both feet were on the rocky ground though, the pressure lifted instantly. I felt a coolness spread over my body and relief flooded through me. My lungs gasped for breath and I leaned over with my hands on my knees as my body began to regulate into normalcy.

Hinata stood next to me and put a hand on my back. "What happened to you?"

My head shook as an answer, and I stood up. "I think it was my pendant. Or this place reacting with my pendant anyway, but it's completely fine now." I grabbed the pendant in my hand and examined it. Nothing, it looked the same. "That's weird that I was fine when we came inside."

Itachi stared at me but didn't comment. I could see the inner workings of his mind through his eyes, but unfortunately our mind reading communication abilities remained a one way road. Hopefully someday that would change. I would love to listen in on his thoughts for a change, maybe even embarrass him.

"Never," he scoffed and strode further in, apparently no longer worried for my welfare.

Naruto opened up his hand and a small flame burst in the air just above his palm. Shadows danced around us just like with the stone Hinata had in the first cave. Though I was grateful this time to have the warmth as this cave had a cool atmosphere.

Like with most of our journey, Naruto took the lead once again. I was immensely grateful that our paths crossed all those weeks ago. I don't know where we would be without him. His magic was superbly helpful and his knowledge of land and cultures has helped as well. Compared to that, it was hard not to feel just a bit useless.

Regardless of feeling that way, I sucked in a deep breath and stood up straight. I wasn't going to be useless, I was going to seal away Kaguya's darkness and make the world a brighter place.

We walked in silence, listening to our surroundings. I was praying to the goddess that a creepy creature like Itsy didn't come chasing after us like last time; I very much so enjoyed taking our time as we traveled through the tunnel.

Not a few moments later, the cave opened up. Naruto's small flame couldn't light the whole area, so I wasn't able to see how far exactly it had expanded.

"Hang on," Naruto mumbled and closed his eyes. His nose wrinkled up in concentration, and Hinata was watching him with rapt attention.

The small flame suddenly grew larger and he then tossed it into the air and it exploded. Panic overcame me at first, but then I relaxed as I saw that the fire was completely controlled. The tiny exploded parts whipped through the area and set out so we could see our surroundings better.

We were standing in a giant dome, and in the center of it was a round dais made of stone. It jutted from the ground a couple of feet in the air, and there was some sort of pedestal situated right on top of it.

My stomach tied itself into one big knot when I saw that a pool of water almost wrapped around it completely. The only part that didn't have water was the slight step that allowed one to walk onto the platform.

The quiet stillness of the place put me ill at ease, and not even touching the hilt of my sword made me feel better.

"This is it," I spoke the words almost unconsciously. My body hummed with energy, the feeling of old magic flowed within my veins, coaxing my body into a slight tingly sensation.

Nobody moved or spoke at my declaration. They could probably all feel the ancient magic that was nestled in here as well.

I gave way to my legs, to the need to find the center of this magic that sang through to my soul.

The sound of my boots echoed lightly around us as I moved closer to the center. Naruto's flames still danced in slow motions around us, making it hard to detect any other form of motion that may have been happening in the dark corners of the space.

The sound of more footsteps began to follow mine, and for some reason I just knew they were Itachi's. I had become accustomed to picking out his presence over the others. Hopefully when we got up to the pedestal, there would be clear instructions on what we had to do.

Somehow I doubted it was going to be that easy.

My feet stopped when we just made it to the step. I gave a nervous look to the water that started just a couple of feet away, eyeing it suspiciously. I really hoped that nothing was going to jump out at me. Please, please, please, please.

A shiver ran through me as I pictured the Undead Grendel in great detail.

"What is that thing you're thinking of?" he asked with a hint of revulsion in every word.

"Hopefully something that isn't here right now."

I took a steadying breath and made my way up. The platform was sturdy, but I was still cautious of where I stepped. Itachi followed, and I saw him roll his eyes at my cautiousness.

The pedestal had a form of writing that I couldn't begin to understand or make sense of, never having seen the language before.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to place your pendant there," he instructed and pointed to the top of the pedestal. "And then fuse magic into it."

"And how is it that you know exactly what to do?" I asked cautiously, afraid that maybe his memories had come back.

"They haven't," he answered my unspoken question, easing my heartbeat back to its normal rhythm. "And it's written right there." He gestured to the writings wrapping along the small structure.

"You can read it?"

"You can't?" He waited a second, looking like he was concentrating on something. "No, it seems like you can't," he said in surprise.

"Hey..." Wait a second. "Were you just fishing through my thoughts?" I thought he was only able to know in the moment what I was thinking!

"Seems I was," he answered. A playful look crossed his features, and I knew that he just thought he'd stumbled upon the best thing in the world.

"You're such a pain in the ass," I bit out.

"You know, you have a filthy mouth."

My face became hot with anger. I yanked the chain over my head and dropped it into the middle of the raised stone. "There. I did it."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Now, infuse it with magic."

I looked with uncertainty at my pendant as it innocently stared up at me as if it were waiting for me to make a move.

"I...I'm not sure how," I admitted.

I bit my lip and looked at him. He wore an unreadable expression as he stared back at me. The two of us stared at each other for a while, neither one speaking until a thought popped into my head.

"Maybe we both have to do it."

"Excuse me?" he asked, his eyebrows had shot up so far up his forehead they were hidden behind his hair.

"Not like that!" I shouted and slapped his arm with the back of my hand. "Pervert."

He glared at me, but I continued anyway. "We both have to infuse it with our magic. Baba Kikyo said you were needed to restore its power as well. Maybe it needs a bit of darkness in order for it to know what it needs to seal away."

"That sounds ridiculous," he countered. "And besides, all my darkness is gone anyway. I don't have any dark magic in me."

"Maybe you do though," I whispered.

"Are you kidding me?" He waved his hand in front of his face but kept his eyes trained on mine. "There isn't an evil thought in my brain."

"You sure about that?" I chided and crossed my arms in front of me, giving him a look that said otherwise.

"I don't want to go around killing people or burning down villages," he explained. "I am nothing like I used to be, or at least what I've gathered that I used to be like."

I cringed as he said the bit about burning villages. I couldn't help but think back to the beginning of this whole journey when Hinata and Kiba's village was burned down by the very male standing before me.

Itachi's face filled with shock, and in that moment I regretted not being able to shield him from my mind. His head snapped back in the direction of Hinata and Naruto, no doubt staring at the dark haired female of our group.

His mouth hung open, but then turned into a cross between a snarl and a grimace. His eyes began to gloss over, and I was pretty sure he was about to cry.

My suspicions were confirmed when I saw tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. I had no idea how to comfort him. In a way, it wasn't him that burned down that village, it was his evil self. It was someone who was now so far detached from the being he was now that I was pretty sure Hinata was even beginning to think the same way.

I could see her attitude towards him change from when we first got him to now. She was more relaxed in his presence, not so much on guard. There were times when I would catch her staring at him as if he was going to spontaneously combust, but those grew fewer and farther in between.

"Hey," I spoke softly and reached out to put a hand on his arm. He tried to weakly shrug it off, but I stayed firm. "Remember that you're here now. You're trying to help now. We can't stay in the past."

He looked down at the hand that was on his arm, and a tear cascaded down his cheek. I watched as it rounded out along his cheek and then hung on the edge of his jaw before finally falling to the ground.

I reached over and wiped the tear streak away with my thumb, but then quickly brought my hand back. The motion was too intimate. Truth be told, I didn't even think before I did it, my hand just acted on its own. But now, Itachi was staring at me surprised by what I did.

I turned away from him and focused my attention on the pedestal once again. My hand dropped from his arm and I rested it atop the stone instead.

It felt like we stood silently there forever. My heart was beating so loudly in my own eardrums, I was sure that even Hinata and Naruto could hear it all the way back in their location.

"Let's...focus." I shook my head, but oddly enough it was already blank. Like I had put myself in a state of shock with what I'd done, no thoughts were bounding about up there in my head. "Can we just try something?"

Itachi took a deep breath through his nose and joined me. I looked over to see that his face was still in turmoil because of his emotions, but he wasn't talking anymore about it.

"Why don't we try to touch it?" he offered.

It was worth a shot, because I couldn't come up with something better.

I reached out and poked a finger through the cage of my pendant to the white, wispy gem within. Itachi did the same from the opposite side, and nothing happened.

"I feel silly," I said. "This isn't working."

"Be patient," he quietly ordered. His eyes were concentrating on the gem, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Imagine that there's a ball of energy in your center and make it travel to the stone."

My eyes squinted at him. "And just how do you know we have to do that?"

He simply shrugged his shoulders. "Just a feeling. Instinct." The way that last word rolled off his tongue sounded a lot like regret. He regretted that he was able to know that bit of advice because of who he was in his past life.

His road of redemption was going to be a long one. He'd probably run into a lot of situations where he'd learn about more horrible things that he did, and he'd just have to face them head on. In that moment as I looked at his face, I saw that I could help him. I wanted to help him.

I think I even needed it.

All my life I've been stuck in that palace. To be fair, it didn't feel like I'd been stuck. My life was good. I love my father and the people who I saw every day as I was in there. I'd only been in the open just a little over a month or so and I couldn't imagine going back to a life of ignorance.

People out here in the world needed help. And I wanted to help in the best way that I could.

And standing just in front of me was Itachi. A once cruel and evil being whose only purpose in life, as far as I could tell, had been to destroy, to burn, to kill. And then this new Itachi came about. Confused, lost, in need of guidance.

It wasn't like I had much life experience to guide him the best, but I was here. I was willing.

Maybe, just maybe that could be enough. Maybe we could tumble through this world together, looking for what we're meant to do. We could help each other.

"I don't need pity," he spoke in a hushed harsh whisper.


	20. Chapter 19: Sasuke

The five of them did know the forest rather well, and they were giving him a terrible time of trying to outrun them. Arrows flew from behind him and he had to continuously duck and lunge behind trees in order to avoid them. His heart pounded in his chest with each footstep he rushed across the forest floor.

He ran all the way to the place he had started from after he climbed the massive cliff side. He noted the bit of stone where he'd rested and ran right past it. There was a path that winded up and up to the left, wrapping around a grassy wall. He took it until it leveled out, his legs aching from the constant sprints. Before him there was a crumbled structure built into the cliffside, what looked to be an old watchtower of sorts. He ran the length of it, noting a gap between the wall that had been broken and weathered down in time. He turned into it and found a secluded spot on the other side of the wall. He reached out his hands, pushing on the side with his right foot, and hoisted himself over it. His back hit against the wall and he sat there listening for signs of his pursuers.

Footsteps and shouting were coming closer, and he took that time to glamour his hiding spot so that if they were to find him, they would only be able to see the stone and dirt that had lay here undisturbed for many years.

Something tugged at him as he used the magic of his people, the magic that flowed through the Summer Court. Each of the nations specialized in a form of magic, and Summer's was that of deception. He had never wanted to use this cursed power again, but these men left him no other choice. He would not let himself become detained in his search for Sakura.

Just as her name entered his mind, he was thrust back into her world.

Salt clung to the air as if the two were inseparable, and the feeling of joy that came from Sakura at the sight of the sea was so overwhelming. Sakura ran forward and swiped at the water's surface, the touch of the warm substance a comfort in her hands.

It was a beautiful sight, and the kindness and warmth of Sakura's mind wrapped around Sasuke like a blanket.

Then he was back, the warmth fading instantly as the cool shadows surrounded him. Night approached, the sun had long since dipped down below the other side of the mountain, leaving this side cold and dark. The stone to his back was chilled, breaking him out of his vision's afterglow so abruptly that it was almost painful.

The voices were still behind him, closer this time and they had stopped running.

"Fan out," came the leader's voice. "He couldn't have gotten far."

Their footsteps went in all directions, but one of them came his way. The steps crunching over the gravel just on the other side of the broken wall he leaned against.

The leader's head appeared, looking over the bricks Sasuke had jumped over to get to his spot in the small alcove overlooking the giant drop of the cliffside. Sasuke watched silently as the leader's eyes surveyed the area, landing directly on him for only a moment before moving on.

Sasuke did not loose a breath until the leader's footsteps disappeared the way he had come.


	21. Chapter 20: Sakura

I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear nervously. I didn't think I was pitying him, but maybe that's what he thought of my desire to help. That must be how he saw it.

My eyes were trained on the floor at this point, but I slowly lifted my head when he let out a slow breath.

"Let's just concentrate on this," he growled out.

Hurt, his words hurt. I hadn't done anything bad to warrant such a tone. I meant no ill will, and yet here he was throwing my offer to the ground.

I decided to deal with it later, when we were far away from this stupid cave.

My head nodded involuntarily, and I thought back to what he told me to do just moments before. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my being. I had some magical training, but it wasn't anything particularly outstanding. I had never done anything like this before, that was for sure.

I took deep breaths.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

I slowly dictated the speed of my breaths, and found that I was able to become more aware of my presence. Or rather, my magical being.

We stood there for a long time with me just feeling out my magic, trying to mold it into a shape. The feeling was gradual, but eventually my stomach began to grow warm.

Every bit of concentration I had went to that spot. It was like a gravitational pull to that one area, and I thought I was out of the woods when I remembered that I had to get it to move through my arm, finger, and then into the crystal.

Moving the ball of energy was slow-going, but it was happening. When it finally hit the gem, I let out a soft exhale of relief and I opened my eyes.

It took all the effort I could muster to not pull my hand away in shock. At the end of my fingertip sat a tiny light of green. It was tugging itself this way and that, but stayed on my finger for a few seconds. And just like that, the gem seemed to suck the ball of light right off of me.

The once white gem was now a steady green, a halo surrounding it gave off an ethereal image. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, it was so beautiful.

Itachi placed his finger near the gem, and a similar light to what mine looked like lay on the tip of it, though his was a brilliant blue.

He dipped it down to touch the gem, and his blue light coated the surface, mixing with my green. The two colors meshed and turned the gem into a cyan color.

I gasped when the writing on the stone glowed that same color as well, and I couldn't help but take a step back. Itachi joined my side of the pedestal, watching the scene unfold before us.

The foreign letters pulsed with light, and I was half expecting the place to start shaking from the intensity of it.

I brought my hand up to shield my eyes as the light had gotten so incredibly bright, but I kept my eyes fixed on my pendant.

And just as fast as the light came, it was gone. All the words were drained of their purple hue, and the gem ceased glowing, returning to its once white color.

"What just happened?" I asked.

Itachi took cautious steps towards the pedestal and brought his face inches away from my pendant. "Pick it up," he ordered.

No way. "You do it." I did not feel like getting zapped or something.

He rolled his eyes and picked it up by the chain, not daring to touch the actual gem. He held it aloft and rotated in my direction. He looked at me expectantly, and it made me feel like I was being a baby.

My hands came together and I kept them palm up to receive it. He lowered it into my hand and immediately it felt different to me. I didn't know exactly how to explain it, but it kind of felt alive.

When I had worn it before Itachi stole it from me, there had always been a hum of power coursing through it. It had been faint, and I'd never paid it much attention. But, right now, I could tell that something had happened. And all I could do was hope that it was something for the better.

"It...worked?" I murmured.

Itachi nodded. "I think so."

I didn't understand. The feeling the pendant gave off before it was taken had been so weak compared to the thrumming sensation it was giving off in my hand. Did that mean that its power had already been weak before? And Itachi's touch was just the last straw?

Did that mean I would've had to do this anyway? Go on this journey to reinvigorate its powers?

Why hadn't I read about a similar situation like this in our palace library?

I closed the pendant in my fist and turned my head to look at Hinata and Naruto. They both wore uneasy expressions, and I could tell that they wanted to get a closer look though they weren't making a move to come near.

Without looking back at Itachi, I began making my way over to them. I could feel his presence following me, but I certainly didn't feel like acknowledging him at all. He made me sad with how he tossed my help away like it was nothing, like it was a bother.

Why couldn't he just admit that he needed help? I most certainly needed help.

I needed all three of them for different reasons. There was no way that I could do this on my own. It was thanks to everyone here that we were able to make it this far. Helping others was not a burdensome thing, it was something to be thankful for, thankful that we have the opportunity to do such a kind act in this world.

And if Itachi didn't want my help, then fine. He can figure it all out on his own.

When I reached them, Nix jumped into my arms. I cradled her to my chest and gave her head a little pat.

"Figured it out?" Hinata asked, tilting her head in the direction of the pedestal. "Seemed there was a lot going on over there."

The look she gave me was a very knowing look. No doubt the two of them heard every word Itachi and I uttered up there. I was probably going to get an interrogation from her later about everything.

Fantastic.


	22. Chapter 21: Sasuke

Sasuke did not dare make his way back through the forest. He learned all that he needed to know. The woman who he had been seeing visions of her life, Sakura, did in fact come from Baria Forest and was a member of the Belmenor family, their princess even.

And the frantic way the leader kept asking him if he knew the location of Sakura told him quite clearly that she was not at the palace.

His own vision of her near the sea somewhere supported this revelation.

But what troubled him more was the way she was so abashedly happy. And yet he had no idea what had become of his brother.

The last image of him was that of him holding up a butter knife in defense. Had she and her group killed him? For some reason, he did not think this to be true. Through the very short glimpse into her life, he had the odd sense that his brother was somewhere nearby, and not just an awareness of it, but a feeling of comfort on her end came from knowing that fact.

His jaw tightened, and his teeth ached from clenching them so firmly together.

Sakura...Sakura had been happy to have his brother around. How could that be?

The stone watchtower was a long structure, and Sasuke was able to climb down it by using the uneven bricks.

When he made it to the bottom, he took out his map. The closest sea to him was Hirandir, due southeast. He'd start there.


	23. Chapter 22: Sakura

It was turning dark out as we finally exited the cave. I was happy to see that when I stepped out of it, I wasn't overcome with a crushing pressure. It must've been related to the pendant like I originally thought it did. And now that part of its power had been restored in this location, it no longer had that kind of reaction.

I gave a relieved sigh at knowing I wouldn't have to work hard at trudging my way through the sand again. I reached up and wrapped my hand around the pendant for a few seconds, then I pulled it up and tucked it behind my shirt.

Nix landed on top of my head and her small clawed paw reached out to swipe at my hand playfully, to which I bopped her head with my hand. She let out a grunt and nuzzled her snout further into my hand, looking for some love and attention.

I grabbed her by her sides and hoisted her off of my head to cradle her in my arms like a baby. I focused on how cute she was and making her happy to avoid the turmoil of thoughts threatening to spill over into the forefront of my mind.

"We should stay for the night," Naruto suggested. "And then head out come daylight."

Hinata nodded at him. "Do they have a spare hut, or will we be staying with one of your girlfriends?"

Naruto looked slightly uncomfortable at her comment. "They should have one available for us all to use."

Without speaking, I took off back towards the village. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and concentrated on the sounds of the water, the smell of the salty air. I could feel my shoulders relaxing because of it.

There was a sound of jogging from behind me, and then Hinata was walking just to my right.

I gave her a side glance and a rueful smile. "I'm okay." That didn't sound convincing even to me.

"I know Itachi can be a little..." she trailed off.

"Abhorrent," I supplied. "Arrogant? A complete and utter ass?" I hoped he heard every word.

She cringed, and did nothing to argue. However, she turned her head backwards to no doubt look at the subject of our discussion. I hope he was wallowing in his stupidity.

"How about complicated?" she offered in return and turned her gaze back on me. "I think he's still having a hard time adjusting-"

"All I did was think about helping him out, to keep being a support system if he needed it and all he did was shut me down." The bite in his words when he told me to back off in the cave still rang in my ear. "I did nothing to warrant such obtuse behavior."

We had just rounded the corner, the village in our sights when I stopped dead in my tracks. There, just in the middle of the road maybe 20 feet away, stood a the Spring Court Palace warrior clad in his green and black armor.

Hinata gave me a weird look to silently ask why I'd stopped walking, but there wasn't time to explain. The warrior pointed straight at us and shouted "There! The Princess!" before running at us. I yanked on Hinata's sleeve and we darted back the way we came.

I wasn't sure how many warriors in total there were, but I was sure that it would definitely be a good amount. Even with the four of us putting up a good fight, we may not have enough to get out of this mess if they caught us. Maybe if Itachi had fully realized his fighting potential we could make it, but as it was right now...

The guys had shocked expressions as we barreled towards them. They were farther back than I thought they'd be, so Naruto must've pulled Itachi back to give us ladies a chance to chat.

"Move, now!" Hinata shouted. Their eyes moved just behind us before they turned and started running.

I wished now more than ever that Nix was able to change size and fly us out of here, but since she couldn't, I held onto her tightly. It was me who was in charge of the saving.

"How'd they find us?" Itachi yelled from my left.

Instead of answering him out loud, I sent a quick message to him with my mind. I didn't know if my voice could function at the moment. I had no idea how they found me now when they hadn't been able to find me for weeks.

Looking forward, the only way for us to escape would be to follow the beach as it curved and then run around the mountainside. There was no way of knowing for certain how it would be once we got to that side, but it was our only option. We couldn't go back into the cave as there was no other route to take save for us getting to that giant room with the pedestal.

Sand exploded in my face as I kept looking to the end of the beach. My body was thrown back forcefully and I let go of Nix in the confusion.

I sputtered, trying to get sand out of my mouth when a pair of hands grabbed me and hoisted me back up to my feet. Turning, I saw Itachi. His hands remained at my waist as he scanned the area. More sand blasts were imploding around us, making me need to shield my face with my forearm.

What was going on?

"Give us the Princess, and we shall leave you alone." The person who spoke was an unfamiliar voice.

"We don't want trouble." Now that voice was one I recognized.

"Dammit," I cursed and whipped around to face Itachi, pulling the hood over his head to hide his face.

"Kai," I addressed the familiar voice. "These are my friends. Stop with the magic blasts or whatever they are!"

And they stopped, just like that. Even though they were here to no doubt bring me back to the Spring Court Palace, they would still take orders from me as long as it didn't interfere with their mission.

The sand began to settle, and ten figures surrounded our little group. My neck cracked as I swivelled my head around so fast to see who else I could recognize that had come.

The only other familiar faces in the bunch were Aimar and Teth, both of whom had been on the rotation of my personal guard. I cringed when I saw the angry expressions on their faces. For certain they weren't on watch the night I slipped off, though I'm sure that did nothing to assuage their roiling guilt.

No, the one who had been on duty was Kai, the male seething right in front of me. His tempestuous green eyes so vivid to me that it felt like I was trapped mere inches from them. The way his nostrils flared with every one of his breaths reminded me of a raging dragon. And his hair, his white, white hair that was very misleading, as we were close in age, was wild and sticking in every direction, I could even see some sand sticking to his head.

I angled my body in front of Itachi's, hoping that I wasn't drawing too much attention to him. I put a hand on the hilt of my sword and moved a step forward closer to Kai.

"Don't do this," I ordered. "There's something I need to do." I could not waste time going back home and dealing with Father. Even though the next shrine we had to find was in Gernotte Forest, the area in which the Spring Court Palace called home, I had no intention of dropping by for a visit. No doubt, I would be locked up tight with no hope of getting out like I did the last time.

Kai glared at me, his lip twitching ever so slightly as if trying to decide the best thing to say to me. "And you couldn't do it with our help? Couldn't even let King Balmenor know?" He stepped nearer and I began sliding my sword out. He stopped walking when he saw this. "We're taking you back, Sakura. You can't win."

I saw the hunger in his eyes to finish his mission, to just grab me and run. His eyes shot to my companions, calculating the outcomes of a fight. He clearly saw nothing special in any of them as he began advancing on me once again.

I took my sword out fully now, I pointed it at him. My own lip was quivering at doing so, but I had to do it. I had never once been able to best him in a fight, but maybe now that I'd been practicing I would stand a better chance. I would most certainly have the element of surprise on my side if anything.

"Sakura," Kai forced out in a whisper, his eyes pleading with mine.

And just like that, I was brought back to all those years we spent growing up together, all the times we played as children or flirted as adults. I was overcome with the desire to reach out and hold him close to me because he was the one thing that felt like home ever since Mother disappeared. He was the one being who grounded me, who saved me from sinking into crippling sorrow.

This whole time I had tried to push him out of my head, to forget about him completely so I could focus on what had to be done.

But, looking at him now, I was overcome with my feelings of missing him. My best friend was standing right in front of me, and yet I couldn't meet him. I couldn't give him what he wanted. Any other time, I would have, but not now.

I switched my gaze over to Itachi for the briefest of moments. His eyes were hidden under his hood, though his mouth was clearly visible and set into a disapproving line. I knew he heard every single thought I'd just had, and the only indication of how it made him feel was that slight downturn of his mouth.

"Who are you with?" Kai asked, his eyes boring into Itachi's figure as if he would be able to see through his cloak just by sheer force of will.

No one spoke up, but moved into defensive positions. I turned to Naruto, trying to beg him for a way, any way, to get us out of this. He stared right back at me blankly, no hope glimmering in his usually cheerful expression.

We'd have to fight our way out.

Well, fine. Let's see what I've learned then.


	24. Chapter 23: Sasuke

He kept to the wall until he made it to a large lake. A wide stone bridge lay in the middle of the lake, running down its length. Squinting against the sun, newly risen just an hour or so ago, his eyes scanned the expanse of the raised bridge.

In the center looked to be four lumbering trolls. Sasuke was sure they were meant to be guarding it, to be patrolling and on the lookout for any passersby, though all they seemed to be doing was laying around and smashing their giant clubs against the ground.

The land curved around the lake, but then turned into a few foothills before it once again evened out on the other side.

He took to the right, not worried at all that the trolls would see him. They were too far away, their eyesight as poor as anything.

Just as he made it to the foothills though, something hit him from behind. His world turned black before he landed on the ground.


	25. Chapter 24: Sakura

My ears rang with the hit of mine and Kai's swords. In a flash, he had taken out his sword when I charged and blocked my blow. I knew he would though, I just needed to get this fight started.

Behind me, I heard the noises of fighting, grunting, weapons dancing with one another, swearing.

"Why are you doing this?" Kai begged, his voice cracking at the end. "Please, Sakura. Tell me."

I didn't dare look away from Kai's green eyes, and I clenched my teeth to stop from speaking further to him. I didn't want anyone to know my pendant had lost its power. If word spread that the one thing that could keep Kaguya at bay was currently out of the picture, then everyone was sitting ducks. She'd have nothing to lose, so she'd push harder. She'd take advantage of this time to gain a foothold in the war. I couldn't let that happen.

An outcry of pain caught me off guard and I turned my head to find its source. Hinata looked to have been kicked in the side and fell to the ground. She wasted no time however in getting back up and continuing with her own attacks.

Fear gripped my body as I felt Kai's hand wrap around my forearm. He pulled something small from his pocket, and he opened his palm to reveal a rigid purple stone. A transportation crystal. The only one who I knew that had one was...

"Father," I started in shock. "He gave it to you?"

He stayed silent for a few moments before saying, "This is important."

Something pulled on me hard, my shoulder's crying out in pain at the sting of my bag's straps hitting them with such force, almost free of Kai's grasp before he could use the crystal. But it was too late. I felt the familiar feeling of being squished into a tight space and moving so rapidly my head spun.

It didn't take long to transport, and when the world came into focus and my body no longer felt like I was in a cocoon, I could take in my surroundings.

The high, vaulted ceilings, the marbled floors, the long wooden table with too many chairs.

I turned my head to his usual spot, and there he was. His long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and his green and black robes stood in stark contrast with his pale face.

Father.

I was back in the Spring Court Palace.


End file.
